Chris Tomlin, Amy Grant and more on monumental album, The Story

Twenty-four top Christian artists have come together for a major new project, (Music Inspired By) The Story.

They include Chris Tomlin, Darlene Zschech, Natalie Grant, Michael W Smith, Amy Grant and Steven Curtis Chapman.

The album has already debuted at No 1 on the iTunes Christian and Gospel Album Chart.

All 18 tracks on the musically diverse album were penned by Nichole Nordeman, who says working on The Story was an unforgettable experience.

“As a songwriter, being involved in The Story has been, without a doubt, the most fulfilled I’ve ever felt creatively.

“To be charged with giving Biblical icons a modern voice and then to get a front row seat as those songs are brought to life by such gifted artists, was an honour I could never have imagined. As Bernie and I wrestled with these songs, I was reminded daily, sometimes hourly, that Scripture was meant to live and breathe in our lives.

“Not as mere history or cultural context, but as bold evidence that God really does long to be the Author of our own pages. This experience has deeply changed my own story, both as an artist and a Christian.”

The 2-disc album draws its inspiration from Zondervan’s bestselling Bible, The Story, Randy Frazee’s book, The Heart of the Story, and Max Lucado’s book, God’s Story Your Story.

The 18 songs are written from a first-perspective based on principle Bible characters and accounts telling God’s story from creation to the second coming.

Other artists featured in the album include Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay’s Dan Haseltine, and Peter Furler and Brandon Heath.

"When I first started working on The Story, I made a ‘dream list’ of 24 artists who I wanted to be part of this project,” says Executive Producer Norman Miller.

“God showed us tremendous favour, because we ended up with 22 of these 24 artists singing on the record. I believe that Nichole wrote the best lyrics of her life and Bernie matched her every step of the way with wonderful melodies.

“Brown Bannister and Bernie Herms were the ultimate production team and this has resulted in The Story being my favourite record of all time.”