Help My Unbelief

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INFO
Gadsby’s Hymns was compiled by William Gadsby in the mid 1800s. Although William Gadsby contributed quite a few of his own hymns, the bulk of the collection is comprised of many different hymnists. Long-beloved writers such as Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, John Newton, Anne Steele, Joseph Hart and William Cowper fill the pages of this wonderful hymnal. Gadsby’s Hymns has been so important to us that we could not stop writing from it. Even before we had completed our last collection of hymns, The Gadsby Project, we knew we would make another record devoted to these beautiful, forgotten texts. We decided to call this record Help My Unbelief. Many of the texts in these particular songs carry themes of doubt and longing. We believe that the Christian life is a complexity of emotions, a marriage of sorrow and joy. Valleys and mountaintops. Light and darkness. The hymn writers of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries seem to have captured these tensions with more honesty and depth than many contemporary writers. Because these writers have given us glimpses of their own doubt and unbelief, working through their hymns has given us much hope. Hope that we are not alone. Hope that sorrow, pain and hardship are not exclusive to our small, believing community here in Birmingham, AL. Rather, that Christians from different parts of the world, hundreds of years ago struggled with the same things. This is one reason why we sing hymns, to remember that the Church is bigger than just us at this moment. We hope you will join us in confessing, "Lord I believe; help my unbelief." Believing that in our doubts and fears Jesus will meet us with patience and grace. This collection of hymns is for God’s prodigals and sojourners as they wait patiently for the Kingdom to come. 

"Help my unbelief. My help must come from Thee."

CREDITS
Produced by Brian T. Murphy and Clint Wells
Mixed and mastered by Paul Scodova
Project Management by Bradley N. Cordell
Graphic Design and layout by Justin Pocta
Recording and engineering Brian T. Murphy at Red Mountain Studios -- Birmingham, AL
Additional recording and engineering on Weary of Earth by Joseph Digerness - San Francisco, CA
Additional post production recording by Paul Scodova in Birmingham, AL and Nashville, TN

Shawn Avery - Bass
Jon Becker - Drums
Natalie Byrd - BGVs 
Stacey Byrd - BGVs
Andy Davis - Vocals
Joseph Digerness - Upright Bass 
Karl Digerness - Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
Jeff Irwin - Bass
Chris Kimmerer - Drums, Percussion
Jeff Koonce - Acoustic Guitar
Josh Meredith - Violin
Molly Moody - BGVs
Evan Munger - BGVs 
Brian T. Murphy - Piano, Keys & Harmonica
Brittany Painter - Vocals
Benj Pocta - Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
Paul Scodova - Four Tom Hits & BGVs
Jared Shull - Bass 
Connie Skellie - Violin
Andrew Spear - Guitar
Ashley Spurling - Vocals
Matthew Terrell - Vocals
Clint Wells - Acoustic & Electric Guitars
Shane Westerhold - Drums
Josh Wilson - Bass
Adam Wright - Mandolin

REVIEWS
“Help My Unbelief pulls songs from the old Gadsby's Hymnal from the 1800s; songs that express various human emotions, including the longing of the sinful, human soul to depart from the presence of sin that leads us at times towards unbelief. This isn't a hard driving rock album; it's contemporary, to be sure, but much more along the lines of acoustic folk rather than rock or country. At times the music brings to mind Caedmon's Call in the early days. The songs are moving, the vocals soothing, the arrangements thoughtful, and the words a timeless treasure that does the heart good.”
- Worship.com

“....Guitar chords and piano notes are distinct and give the record an overall singer-songwriter feel. Beautiful melodies, as such found in "Thou Poor, Afflicted, Tempted Soul", beg to be replayed. Despite how common it is for worship cd's to sound like one long track, this album is surprisingly diverse as it combines the echoes of traditional piano hymns with the cries of an electric guitar. However, its Southern roots are inescapable and pervasive throughout the album. The folk guitar-strumming pattern in "Love Me to the End" and "My Raptured Soul" and vocal style in "The Gospel Brings Tidings" confirm that its birthplace was in Alabama. The first full track "With Melting Heart and Weeping Eyes" eases the listener into the album by slowly building anticipation. A mandolin is layered first with vocals, later with piano, percussion, guitar, violin, and finally interluded with tracks of everyday sounds. This approach keeps the music dynamic and seems to be the album's signature. Most songs on "Unbelief" propel the listener forward by adding more and more characters to the story after their respective first verses. Finally and perhaps more importantly, the lyrics are a collection of hymns from the mid 1800s that William Gadsby collected.... The album shares an anecdote of hope. Though it starts with despairingly honest words of unbelief and doubt, it ends with "My Soul Rejoice and Sing." In between is the journey of a Christian living out the confusion and joy of faith.”
- CommonGroundsOnline.com