Living Hope (album)

Living Hope is the seventh commercial studio album by Phil Wickham, released on August 3, 2018, by Fair Trade Services.^[1] Unlike previous albums which were produced solely by Pete Kipley, Wickham chose to work with Ed Cash, Jonathan Smith, Nicolas Balachandran, Ran Jackson and Ricky Jackson in addition to Kipley.^[2]

Living Hope
Studio album by Phil Wickham
Released	August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03)
Studio	Richmond Park Studio, Highland Park, California Unicorn Studio, Highland Park, California
Genre	Contemporary worship contemporary Christian music CEDM
Length	57:01
Label	Fair Trade Services
Producer	Ed Cash Jonathan Smith Nicolas Balachandran Pete Kipley Phil Wickham Ran Jackson Ricky Jackson
Phil Wickham chronology
Children of God (2016) Living Hope (2018) Singalong 4 (2019)
Singles from Living Hope
"Living Hope" Released: March 30, 2018 (2018-03-30) "Till I Found You" Released: April 27, 2018 (2018-04-27) "Great Things" Released: June 1, 2018 (2018-06-01)

Supported by the release of the album's title track, "Till I Found You" and "Great Things" as singles along with an album pre-order, Living Hope was released to critical acclaim and was commercially success, having charted in the Top 2 sectors of the American and British Christian music charts, and also peaked at No. 108 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

Background

On March 30, 2018, Phil Wickham released "Living Hope" as the first single from the anticipated album, which was yet to be announced, with the single's release coinciding with Good Friday and Easter holidays.^[3][4][5] Wickham then issued "Till I Found You" as the second single on April 27, 2018, announcing the album title as Living Hope and indicated that it was slated for release in August 2018.^[6][7] On June 1, 2018, "Great Things" was released as the third single from Living Hope.^[8][9][10]

Phil Wickham launched the album pre-order for Living Hope on June 29, 2018, availing the previously released singles with "Song in My Soul" featuring Hollyn released as an instant-grat download, whilst notifying that the album will be released on August 3, 2018,^[11] and that he will be celebrate by having a Living Hope Record Release Show at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles.^[12] The song, "How Great Is Your Love" was released on July 20, 2018, as the last instant-grat track before the full-length release.^[13]

Release and promotion

At the commencement of the digital pre-order period in June 2018, "Living Hope", "Till I Found You", "Great Things" and "Song in My Soul" featuring Hollyn, were availed for instant download, being the first four promotional singles from the album.^[14] "How Great Is Your Love" was released on July 20, 2018, as the fifth and final promotional single from the album.^[15]

Phil Wickham celebrated the release of the album by having the Living Hope Record Release Show at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles with Mack Brock being his special guest.

Singles

Preceding the release of Living Hope, the album's title track, "Living Hope", was issued as a single on March 30, 2018.^[16] This was followed by "Till I Found You" which was also released as a single on April 27, 2018,^[17] and "Great Things" which was the third and final single to be released from the album on June 1, 2018.^[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
365 Days Of Inspiring Media	^[19]
ChurchMag	^[20]
Cross Rhythms	^[21]
Hallels	4/5^[22]
Jesus Freak Hideout	^[23]
Louder Than The Music	^[24]
Today's Christian Entertainment	3.7/5^[25]

Living Hope prompted generally positive reactions, with good sentiments echoed in reviews about the collection from critics within the CCM and contemporary worship music genres.^[26]

Reviewing for 365 Days of Inspiring Media, Jonathan Andre rated the album four and a half stars out of five, describing the worship as "unique, fresh, emotive, powerful and heartfelt," and went onto congratulate Wickham for "such a project that stands tall amongst many worship album releases of 2018 thus far."^[19] In a perfect five star review of the album at ChurchMag, Phil Schneider declared that "Phil Wickham's Living Hope is another stellar record from one of Christian music's best male artists."^[20] Cross Rhythms music critic Tony Cummings gave the album a perfect ten squares in his review, concluding: "A magnificent album which has the potential to enrich the spiritual lives of huge numbers of churchgoers."^[21] Bestowing the album a four-out-of-five rating for Hallels, Timothy Yap concluded "Living Hope, on the whole, is packed with church songs made for us to sing with our brothers and sisters in worship. Despite some spots of sloppiness, this is a treasuretrove for worship leaders and worshippers to mine as we search for ways to express our worship in ways that are Biblically sound and musically accommodating."^[22] Awarding a four and a half star rating at Louder Than The Music, Jono Davies assures "This really is a solid and compact album."^[24] Kevin Davis, in his review for NewReleaseToday, was of the opinion that Wickham has improved with each release and that Living Hope was "my top worship album of the year."^[27] Kelly Meade, indicating in a three-point-seven score review for Today's Christian Entertainment, says that Wickham "captures the essence of worship with this collection of music to allow our hearts & spirits to meditate on the goodness and power of God."^[25]

In an otherwise negative review from Jesus Freak Hideout, Lucas Munachen rated the collection two stars, says "Living Hope continues to follow the trend of anthemic, EDM laced music that in turn continues to be a forgettable product of its time."^[23] Munachen described the songwriting and production sound as being "so disappointingly artificial that the record simply does not come across as anything more than an impersonal product for the masses."^[23]

Accolades

Year-end lists

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
NewReleaseToday	Top 10 Worship Albums of 2018	1	^[28]

Awards

Year	Organization	Award	Result	Ref.
2019	We Love Christian Music Awards	The Encounter Award (Worship Album of the Year)	Nominated	^[29]
		Album of the Year	Nominated
	GMA Dove Awards	Worship Album of the Year	Nominated	^[30]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Living Hope debuted at No. 22 on Billboard's Christian Albums chart dated August 11, 2018.^[31] The album then shot to No. 1 on Christian Albums chart dated August 18, 2018, having earned sales of 7,000 equivalent album units in its first week.^[32] Living Hope is Phil Wickham's second album to reach the top spot on the Christian Album chart after Sing-A-Long 3 (2015).^[32] The album was also listed as the sixteenth best-selling digital release in the country that same week,^[33] with an appearance on the mainstream Billboard 200 chart at No. 108.^[34]

In the United Kingdom, Living Hope debuted at No. 2 on the OCC's Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart dated August 11, 2018.^[35]

Track listing

Living Hope – Standard edition^[36][37]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Great Things"	Jonas Myrin Phil Wickham ^[38]	4:50
2.	"Living Hope"	Wickham Brian Johnson ^[39]	5:27
3.	"Breath Away"	Wickham Ran Jackson Ricky Jackson Aaron Ogden Brian Willet ^[40]	4:26
4.	"Till I Found You"	Wickham Travis Ryan ^[41]	4:00
5.	"How Great Is Your Love"	Brett Younker Kristian Stanfill Wickham ^[42]	5:07
6.	"Boundless"	Wickham^[43]	2:00
7.	"Song in My Soul" (featuring Hollyn)	Wickham Ryan Jonathan Smith Brad Beal ^[44]	3:51
8.	"Wild River"	Chris Tomlin Wickham ^[45]	3:54
9.	"Anthem"	Wickham Josh Silverberg Ran Jackson Ricky Jackson ^[46]	5:19
10.	"Eyes Fixed"	Ben Cantelon Wickham Nick Herbert ^[47]	4:28
11.	"Tethered"	Mia Fieldes Wickham Smith ^[48]	4:42
12.	"Revive Us Again"	Wickham Smith ^[49]	3:46
13.	"Christ Is Risen"	Wickham B. Johnson Mack Brock ^[50]	5:10
Total length:			57:01

Living Hope – Deluxe edition^[51][52]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"On and On" (Bonus Track)	Taylor Johnson Wickham Adrian Disch ^[53]	5:05
15.	"For God So Loved" (Bonus Track)	Jason Ingram Wickham ^[54]	4:20
16.	"Living Hope" (House Sessions; Bonus Track)	Wickham B. Johnson	5:22
17.	"Till I Found You" (House Sessions; Bonus Track)	Wickham Ryan	3:44
18.	"Till I Found You" (Music Video)		4:00
19.	"Living Hope" (Music Video)		5:31
Total length:			85:02

Living Hope (The House Sessions)

Living Hope (The House Sessions)
Live album by Phil Wickham
Released	January 18, 2019 (2019-01-18)
Genre	Contemporary worship music
Length	42:13
Label	Fair Trade Services
Phil Wickham live album chronology
Singalong 3 (2015) Living Hope (The House Sessions) (2019) Singalong 4 (2019)

On January 18, 2019, Phil Wickham released a live album with nine live recordings of songs from the album, titled Living Hope (The House Sessions), via Fair Trade Services in digital format.^[55][56]

Living Hope (The House Sessions)^[57][58]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Intro (King of My Heart)"	1:01
2.	"Great Things"	4:25
3.	"Living Hope"	5:22
4.	"Anthem"	6:51
5.	"Song In My Soul"	4:49
6.	"How Great Is Your Love"	6:34
7.	"Till I Found You"	3:43
8.	"Wild River"	4:12
9.	"Christ Is Risen"	5:10
Total length:		42:08

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.^[2]

• Nicolas Balachandran — background vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, producer, programming
• Casey Brown — drums
• Chad Carouthers — bass, programming
• Ed Cash — acoustic guitar, mixing, producer, programming
• Dave Cook — background vocals, editing
• John Denosky — editing
• Zac Esposito — bass
• Hollyn — featured artist
• Ran Jackson — background vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, producer, programming
• Ricky Jackson — background vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, producer, programming
• Taylor Johnson — electric guitar
• Joe LaPorta — mastering
• Jeremy Larson — cello, string arrangements, viola, violin
• Paul Mabury — drums
• Matthew Melton — bass
• Buckley Miller — engineer
• Sean Moffitt — mixing
• Casey Moore — guitar
• Josh Murty — electronics
• North Coast Worship — background vocals
• David Ramirez — editing
• Travis Ryan — programming
• Jonathan Smith — acoustic guitar, background vocals, bass, electric guitar, keyboards, organ, piano, producer, programming
• Matt Stanfield — bass
• Aaron Sterling — drums
• Mark Suhonen — programming
• Phil Wickham — vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, primary artist
• Brian Willett — programming
• Joe Williams — programming

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018) Peak position UK Christian & Gospel Albums (OCC)^[35] 2 US Billboard 200^[59] 108 US Christian Albums (Billboard)^[60] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position US Christian Albums (Billboard)^[61] 36 Chart (2020) Position US Christian Albums (Billboard)^[62] 44

Release history

Region	Date	Version	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	August 3, 2018	Standard	CD digital download streaming	Fair Trade Services	^[36]^[37]
		Deluxe	Digital download streaming		^[51]^[52]
	January 19, 2019	The House Sessions (Live)	Digital download streaming		^[57]^[58]

References

1. "Louder Than The Music - Phil Wickham Releases New Album 'Living Hope'". Louder Than The Music. August 4, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
2. "Living Hope - Phil Wickham | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
3. Andre, Joshua (March 30, 2018). "Phil Wickham – Living Hope (Single) | 365 Days Of Inspiring Media". 365 Days Of Inspiring Media. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
4. "New Single from Phil Wickham - "Living Hope"". MultiTracks. April 6, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
5. "Living Hope - Single by Phil Wickham on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. March 30, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
6. Longs, Herb (April 29, 2018). "Phil Wickham Delivers New Song "Till I Found You"". The Christian Beat. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
7. "Till I Found You - Single by Phil Wickham on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. April 27, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
8. "New from Phil Wickham - "Great Things"". MultiTracks. April 27, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
9. "Great Things - Single by Phil Wickham on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. June 1, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
10. Longs, Herb (June 1, 2018). "Phil Wickham Drops New Song "Great Things"". The Christian Beat. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
11. Lundin, Marcus (June 29, 2018). "Singer-Songwriter Phil Wickham Launches Pre-Orders For New Full-Length Album 'Living Hope' Releasing On Aug. 3 : Music : BREATHEcast". BREATHEcast. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
12. Melton, Lori (July 3, 2018). "Phil Wickham bringing 'Living Hope' Record Release Show to Ace Hotel this summer - AXS". AXS. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
13. Longs, Herb (July 21, 2018). "Phil Wickham New Song "How Great Is Your Love"". The Christian Beat. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
14. Longs, Herb (June 29, 2018). "Phil Wickham's Highly Anticipated 'Living Hope' To Bow August 3". The Christian Beat. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
15. ""How Great Is Your Love" by Phil Wickham". MultiTracks. July 20, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
16. Longs, Herb (March 30, 2018). "Phil Wickham Delivers New Single "Living Hope" Coinciding With Good Friday". The Christian Beat. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
17. "Phil Wickham - "Till I Found You"". MultiTracks. April 27, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
18. Andre, Jonathan (June 3, 2018). "Phil Wickham – Till I Found You / Great Things) | 365 Days Of Inspiring Media". 365 Days Of Inspiring Media. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
19. Andre, Jonathan (August 2, 2018). "Phil Wickham – Living Hope | 365 Days Of Inspiring Media". 365 Days Of Inspiring Media. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
20. Schneider, Phil (August 11, 2018). "'Living Hope' by Phil Wickham [Saturday Morning Review] - ChurchMag". ChurchMag. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
21. Cummings, Tony (August 2, 2018). "Review: Living Hope - Phil Wickham | Cross Rhythms". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
22. Yap, Timothy (July 22, 2018). "Phil Wickham "Living Hope" Album Review : Exclusives : Hallels". Hallels. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
23. Munachen, Lucas (August 5, 2018). "Jesusfreakhideout.com: Phil Wickham, "Living Hope" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
24. Davies, Jono. "Louder Than The Music - Phil Wickham - Living Hope". Louder Than The Music. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
25. Meade, Kelly (August 2, 2018). "Phil Wickham 'Living Hope' - Today's Christian Entertainment". Today's Christian Entertainment. Avada. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
26. Clarks, Jessie (August 5, 2018). "Phil Wickham "Strikes A Chord" With Critically Lauded New Album". The Christian Beat. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
27. Davis, Kevin (August 1, 2018). "Living Hope (Deluxe) by Phil Christian CD Book Reviews | NRTeam Member KevinDavis_NRT | NewReleaseToday". NewReleaseToday. NRT Media, Inc. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
28. Davis, Kevin (December 1, 2018). "Top 10 Worship Albums of 2018 | NRT LISTS | NewReleaseToday". NewReleaseToday. NRT Media, Inc. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
29. "We Love Christian Music Awards - 7th Annual 2018". NewReleaseToday. NRT Media, Inc. December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
30. "2019 Nominees | The 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards". GMA Dove Awards. August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
31. "Christian Albums: Top Praise Music Chart | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. August 11, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
32. Zellner, Xander (August 16, 2018). "For King & Country's 'Joy' Is No 1 On The Christian Airplay Chart | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved September 24, 2018. WICKHAM NO. 1: Worship leader Phil Wickham banks his second Top Christian Albums No. 1, among seven top 10s, with Living Hope (7,000 equivalent album units; 5,000 in traditional album sales) in the week ending Aug. 9.
33. "Digital Albums Chart | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. August 18, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
34. "Top 200 Albums | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. August 18, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
35. "Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart Top 20 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. August 16, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
36. "Phil Wickham - Living Hope - Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. August 3, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
37. "Living Hope by Phil Wickham on Spotify". Spotify. 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
38. "Great Things - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
39. "Living Hope - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
40. "Breath Away - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
41. "Till I Found You - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
42. "How Great Is Your Love - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
43. "Boundless - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
44. "Song In My Soul - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
45. "Wild River - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
46. "Anthem - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
47. "Eyes Fixed - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
48. "Tethered - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
49. "Revive Us Again - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
50. "Christ Is Risen - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
51. "Living Hope (Deluxe) by Phil Wickham on Amazon Music - Amazon.com". Amazon.com. August 3, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
52. "Living Hope (Deluxe) by Phil Wickham on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. August 3, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
53. "On And On - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
54. "For God So Loved - Phil Wickham Sheet Music | PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
55. Longs, Herb (January 20, 2019). "Phil Wickham Unveils Intimate 'Living Hope (The House Sessions)'". The Christian Beat. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
56. Yap, Timothy (January 18, 2019). "Phil Wickham Unveils Intimate "Living Hope (The House Sessions)," Available Now : News : Hallels". Hallels. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
57. "Living Hope (The House Sessions) by Phil Wickham on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
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60. "Phil Wickham Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
61. "Top Christian Albums - Year-End | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
62. "Top Christian Albums - Year-End | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved December 5, 2020.

External links

• Lyrics and sheet music for the album on PraiseCharts