Beautiful Surrender

Beautiful Surrender is the eighth album by American Christian worship duo Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, released on September 30, 2016, from Bethel Music through Provident Label Group.[1] Ed Cash handled the production of the album, with Brian Johnson and Joel Taylor serving as executive producers.[2]

Beautiful Surrender
Studio album by
Jonathan David & Melissa Helser
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Recorded2015–2016
Genre
Length64:12
Label
Producer
Jonathan David & Melissa Helser chronology
On the Shores
(2012)		 Beautiful Surrender
(2016)
Singles from Beautiful Surrender
  1. "You Came (Lazarus)"
    Released: February 17, 2017

Touted as a "vibrant response" to On the Shores, their 2012 album, Beautiful Surrender was the duo's first release with Bethel Music since joining the collective in 2014.[3] The album also included a radio remix of their Dove Award-winning hit single, "No Longer Slaves," as a bonus track.[4] The album became a breakthrough hit for the Helsers, debuting at No. 1 on the Christian music charts in the US and UK as well as attaining mainstream rankings in the US, Australia, Canada and Norway. Following its release, the album spawned "You Came (Lazarus)" as a single, impacting Christian radio in the United States on February 17, 2017.[5]

Background

Jonathan David & Melissa Helser announced that their eighth album, Beautiful Surrender, would be released internationally on September 30, 2016, via Bethel Music and Provident Label Group.[6] With multi award-winning producer Ed Cash handling the project, Beautiful Surrender was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with instrumentation provided Cageless Birds, a North Carolina-based collective that the duo helped co-found.[7] The duo elaborated on the core message of the album, saying:

Surrender is to cease resistance, yield control and give oneself up to the power of another. When you find the One your heart loves, surrender is a beautiful, effortless fall – not a duty or a task. When Jesus said 'follow me,' they saw everything they ever wanted and joyfully surrendered all they had. What would it look like to truly surrender without reservation, without caution, and give in fully not to an idea of God, but to God himself?

— Jonathan David & Melissa Helser[6][7]

Promotion

In a bid to promote the album, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser launched the album's pre-order with "Beautiful Surrender", "Catch the Wind" and "Find Me" being released as promotional singles as they were availed for instant download in September 2016.[7]

Singles

After to the album's release, the song "You Came (Lazarus)" was released by Bethel Music to Christian radio in the United States as the lead single from the album, impacting on February 17, 2017.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Cross Rhythms[8]
NewReleaseToday[9]
One Man in the Middle4.15/5[10]
Today's Christian Entertainment[11]

Matt Collar of AllMusic called the album "a heartfelt production showcasing the husband-and-wife duo's emotive, literate, faith-based sound."[4] Cross Rhythms reviewer Tony Cummings gave the album a perfect ten squares rating, saying that "the worshipping Church has in these two servants an inspiring couple of songsmiths and worship leaders." The album garnered a four star rating from a NewReleaseToday review by Mary Nikkel, describes the sound as being "more like an indie folk-influenced release than most contemporary worship records."[9] Nikkel concluded that "Beautiful Surrender's thematic hub is the freedom that comes from full surrender to the true Gospel, the fullness of Jesus's love and grace. Those timeless concepts are expressed in often delightfully unexpected ways both musically and lyrically, establishing the Helser's unique and vital role in the Bethel Music worship family."[9] Reviewing for One Man in the Middle, Tony Cummings rating the album eight-point-three-out-of-ten, is of the opinion that the "whole album is a positive one with a lot of depth to the lyrics and a great combination of vocals."[10] Kelly Meade, in a review for Today's Christian Entertainment, rated the album three and a half stars saying that the overall feel of the album is "one of reflective and worshipful sentiments with heartfelt lyrics and soothing melodies."[11]

Commercial performance

Beautiful Surrender was a breakthrough hit for Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, accruing sales of 9,000 copies in its first week, thus vaulting in at No. 1 on Billboard-issued Christian Albums chart dated October 22, 2016, chronicling the best selling releases of the genre that week.[12] The album also reached No. 54 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[13]

In Australia, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser had their first entry on the mainstream ARIA Albums Chart, with Beautiful Surrender debuting at No. 32 on the chart.[14]

In Canada, the duo also debuted on the all-genre Canadian Albums Chart, with the album peaking at No. 67.[15]

Beautiful Surrender also became the duo's first entry on the OCC's Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart in the United Kingdom, debuting at No. 1 for the week ending October 13, 2016.[16]

Track listing
Beautiful Surrender[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Beautiful Surrender"
  • Jonathan David Helser
  • Melissa Helser
  • Molly Skaggs
5:16
2."You Came (Lazarus)"
5:01
3."Find Me"J. D. Helser4:25
4."Outrageous Love"
  • Cash
  • J. D. Helser
5:06
5."Strength"
  • Cash
  • M. Helser
  • Skaggs
6:21
6."The Gospel"
  • Cash
  • J. D. Helser
4:30
7."So Much Grace"
  • Cash
  • J. D. Helser
4:55
8."Beautiful Jesus"
  • Cash
  • M. Helser
  • Skaggs
6:31
9."First Love"J. D. Helser6:22
10."Abba (Arms of a Father)"
  • Cash
  • J. D. Helser
5:30
11."Catch the Wind"
  • Cash
  • J. D. Helser
  • M. Helser
  • Skaggs
6:22
12."No Longer Slaves" (Radio Remix; Bonus Track)
4:10
Total length:64:12

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.[2]

  • Joel Case – guitar, violin
  • Ed Cash – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, engineer, producer, programming
  • James Duke – electric guitar
  • Chris Estes – director
  • Chris Greely – mixing
  • Stephen Hart – design, photography
  • Jonathan David Helser – acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Melissa Helser – vocals
  • Brian Johnson – executive producer
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
  • Paul Mabury – drums, drums programming
  • Buckley Miller – engineer
  • Anna Naphtali – photography
  • Claire Nunn – cello
  • Matt Pierson – bass
  • Stephen Price – piano
  • Luke Skaggs – violin
  • Molly Skaggs – background vocals, piano
  • Jake Stevens – electric guitar
  • Joel Taylor – executive producer

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 32
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[18] 67
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] 37
UK Christian & Gospel Albums (OCC)[16] 1
US Billboard 200[20] 54
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[21] 1

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various September 30, 2016 CD Provident Label Group [22]
 Bethel Music [23]

References
  1. Chalos, Melissa Riddle (September 30, 2016). "Jonathan & Melissa Helser "Beautiful Surrender" Feature Story". The Christian Beat. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  2. "Beautiful Surrender – Jonathan David & Melissa Helser | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  3. "Beautiful Surrender – Bethel Music". Bethel Music. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  4. Collar, Matt. "Beautiful Surrender – Jonathan David & Melissa Helser | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  5. "Jonathan David & Melissa Helser – You Came (Lazarus) | Daily Play MPE®". Daily Play MPE. Destiny Media Technologies, Inc. January 24, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  6. Clarks, Jessie (September 14, 2016). "Bethel Music's Jonathan David & Melissa Helser Release "Beautiful Surrender" September 30". Hallels. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  7. Yap, Timothy (September 15, 2016). "Bethel Music's Jonathan David & Melissa Helser Release "Beautiful Surrender" Sept. 30 : News : Hallels". Hallels. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  8. Cummings, Tony (December 20, 2017). "Review: Beautiful Surrender – Jonathan David & Melissa Helser | Cross Rhythms". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  9. Nikkel, Mary (October 1, 2016). "Beautiful Surrender by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser | CD Reviews And Information | NewReleaseToday.com". NewReleaseToday. NRT Media, Inc. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  10. Allwright, Rob (February 17, 2016). "Music Review: Beautiful Surrender by Jonathan David, Melissa Helser – One Man In The Middle". One Man in the Middle. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  11. Meade, Kelly (September 30, 2016). "Jonathan David & Melissa Helser 'Beautiful Surrender' – Today's Christian Entertainment". Today's Christian Entertainment. Avada. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  12. Asker, Jim (October 14, 2016). "Jonathan & Melissa Helser, Fred Hammond Lead Christian, Gospel Album Charts". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Asheboro, North Carolina-based singer/songwriters, worship leaders and husband and wife Jonathan and Melissa Helser vault in atop Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart (dated Oct. 22), as their ninth album, Beautiful Surrender, starts with 9,000 copies sold in its first week (ending Oct. 6), according to Nielsen Music.
  13. "Top 200 Albums". Billboard. October 22, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  14. Ryan, Gavin (October 10, 2016). "ARIA Albums: Sticky Fingers Westway Debuts At No 1". Noise11. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Around Craig are two religious based albums debuting, first of which is local Australian church group Planetshakers with their 31st album "Overflow" coming in at No.25 and then Bethel Church group members Melissa Helser and Jonathan David see their fourth duo album "Beautiful Surrender" come in at No.32.
  15. "Canadian Albums Chart". Billboard. October 22, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  16. "Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart Top 20 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. October 13, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  17. "Australiancharts.com – Melissa Helser & Jonathan David – Beautiful Surrender". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  18. "Jonathan David Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  19. "Norwegiancharts.com – Melissa Helser & Jonathan David – Beautiful Surrender". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  20. "Jonathan David Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  21. "Jonathan David Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  22. "Jonathan David & Melissa Helser – Beautiful Surrender – Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. September 30, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  23. "Beautiful Surrender by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. September 30, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
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