New Jeremy Camp Album Inspires Sales, Action
Contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp is making an impact with his latest release – not only in album sales, but also in mobilizing his fan base to act.
"It's a call to action, but a call to action through love," Camp says of Speaking Louder Than Before, which debuted this week at No. 2 on the Top Christian Albums chart and at No. 38 on the Billboard 200.
"If you are a believer, you don't have to go out and be a street evangelist," he told Reuters. "We all have the opportunity to share the gospel and we should – that's what we were called to do. If you don't have much passion, well, get on your face and pray for the passion and get into the word of God. That's what I've been sharing. That's the whole concept."
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Co-produced by Camp and Grammy Award winning producer Brown Bannister, Speaking Louder Than Before is the first Camp project in over two years.
Through the past few years and all that has happened in his life, Camp said he has realized the urgency of speaking louder to all.
"I have walked through the valleys, the mountains, and plains," explained Camp, who lost his first wife to cancer months after they wed. "That's why I'm speaking up, that's why I'm speaking now and loud."
To underline his message, Camp's new album includes a music video for each song in which he reads from the Bible and explains the song's meaning and application.
And to get fans speaking up in their own community, Camp launched a contest on YouTube that encourages fans to create a video, email the posted link to [email protected] and spread the word about their video to family and friends. The video with the most views on YouTube will win a VIP prize pack from Jeremy Camp.
Speaking Louder Than Before is accompanied by 12 video devotionals, which can be accessed via a link on the CD to a special Web site or on the DVD that comes with the expanded edition of the album.
At retail, Wal-Mart has an exclusive track with its version of Speaking Louder Than Before, while iTunes has an exclusive Christmas tune, "Christ Has Come."
