Third Day has sold 7 million albums and is sure to sell a few more with the GRAMMY- and Dove Award-winning band's new Essential Records project, Miracle (0-83061-09462-1, Provident Distribution), releasing Nov. 6, 2012. Tai Anderson (bass, background vocals) answered the majority of the following questions about the band and new project. 

Miracle is 12th studio record for Third Day. To what do you owe your longevity as a band?

We get asked all the time how we've stayed together so long, and I believe there is more than one reason. Over the past 20 years as a band, we have seen the impact of our music on countless individuals and we've heard numerous testimonies from fans whose lives seemed to be turned around for the better after hearing a song or attending a concert.  As a matter of fact, "I Need a Miracle" was inspired by one such story.  It certainly has not been difficult to find our purpose as a band with so many encouraging words from fans.

From his new label home, FairTrade Services, Platinum-selling artist Mark Schultz sees a Sept. 4 release of his first studio project in three years, All Things Possible (7-36211-60449-1). Produced by Pete Kipley (MercyMe, Phil Wickham) and Seth Mosley (Newsboys), the album is available from Provident Distribution.

You and your wife, Kate, spent some time in Italy preparing music for All Things Possible. Why Italy?

Kate is an Italian citizen, but had never met any of her relatives in Sicily or Italy, so we thought that it would be a great opportunity to do that, as well as get to spend some time together as a couple—she had just finished medical residency, and we hadn't seen much of each other. We joked that we have been married for seven years and are still newlyweds. Taking time off from touring let us both experience life together as well as get filled up creatively.

What is your wife Kate’s role in your music ministry?

She is an unbelievable resource for songwriting. She knows words and has such a gift with crafting lyrics. She is a great sounding board, and I have learned that trusting her instincts is invaluable. She is a gifted writer, both with song lyrics and books.

How does this project pull from any of your real-life experiences (as you often do)?

One of the songs on this record called “Haven't Met You Yet” is about our first child, Ryan. I wanted to let him know how excited his mom and dad were that he was coming into the world. Someday he will look back and see how special that time was for us, maybe even when he is getting ready for his own child. It will be nice to have that memory on a record he can share with his own kids.

Tell us about the first single from this album. Why was it chosen as the lead?

I think it sums up my vision for not just this record, but for my life. I want to stretch myself and my faith, to do things that I know on my own are not possible, but with God they are. I want to dream big dreams, pray big prayers and expect God to come through. I want Him to use my life to have an impact for His kingdom.

What are the some of the other significant songs and why?

“One Day” is a song that was inspired by a young boy in my concert. I was singing the song “I Am,” and I looked out in the audience and saw him in a wheelchair with his eyes closed, arms raised and tears running down his cheek with a smile on his face. I got choked up thinking that one day he would meet God and get to step out of his wheelchair and never have to use it again. I loved his faith, and that moment really moved me.

How did production and recording go on the new album?

Great! I worked with a young guy named Seth Mosley who really brought a sense of freshness to the songs. I had more fun recording this album than any I can think of in the past. He was full of energy, and everything went so quickly. Also, he plays almost every instrument, so we had an idea what the finished product would sound like after an hour or so of writing a song. It was awesome!

You’ve enjoyed a great career and ministry. To what you do you attribute that success?

Being surrounded by godly people who God has blessed with incredible gifts. I am just a small part; I am surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who spur me on to greater things every day.

On an unrelated subject, I see you visited the set of The Hobbit. What was that like?

Really neat! We had a show in New Zealand and took some time to see the set. My guitarist, Brian, is a huge fan and so I had almost as much fun seeing him take it all in as I did in seeing it myself. He was like a kid in a candy store!

Brandon Heath, the five-time GRAMMY nominee, Emmy winner and two-time Gospel Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year—offers his fourth full-length album, Blue Mountain (6-02341-01712-1, Reunion Records/Provident Distribution), releasing Oct. 9, 2012. Read his comments on the new project here:

In a few words, how would you describe the music on Blue Mountain?

It’s about storytelling. Most of the characters on the record are fictional people who live on Blue Mountain. In terms of the music, I wanted to bring Appalachia to Pop so you’ll hear pop backbeats surrounded by Dobro and steel guitars. The vocals take on the characters they portray, with dialect and accents very much intact.

From his new label home, FairTrade Services, Platinum-selling artist Mark Schultz sees a Sept. 4 release of his first studio project in three years, All Things Possible (7-36211-60449-1). Produced by Pete Kipley (MercyMe, Phil Wickham) and Seth Mosley (Newsboys), the album is available from Provident Distribution.

You and your wife, Kate, spent some time in Italy preparing music for All Things Possible. Why Italy?

Kate is an Italian citizen, but had never met any of her relatives in Sicily or Italy, so we thought that it would be a great opportunity to do that, as well as get to spend some time together as a couple—she had just finished medical residency, and we hadn't seen much of each other. We joked that we have been married for seven years and are still newlyweds. Taking time off from touring let us both experience life together as well as get filled up creatively.

The members of Tenth Avenue North talked with Christian Retailing about the band's third studio project, The Struggle (6-02341-01632-2, $9.99), releasing Aug. 21, 2012, from Reunion Records and Provident Label Group. Band members are: Mike Donehey (lead vocals, acoustic guitar); Jason Jamison (drums); Jeff Owen (background vocals, electric guitar); Brendon Shirley (keys) and Ruben Juarez (bass).

The Struggle is your third studio project. How is it distinct from the music you created earlier as a band?

Mike Donehey: We have new members now. [With] a lot of the songs we did in the past, we did songs first and then tried to build the music around it. This time a lot of them we did the music first. ... We feel like an artist with more colors at his disposal, and I think people find that to be true, that there's more sonic soundscape and more texture and more colors in the music itself in this record than before.

Southern rock group Rhett Walker Band debuts on Essential Records (Provident Distribution) in July 2012 with Come to the River. The band is led by the son of a preacher who has outgrown his teen rebellion and come into his own as a family man who sings of the grace that saved him.

This is your debut in the Christian market, so our readers will want to get acquainted with you. Would you share some of your story with us?

I’m just a sinner singing about grace. I’m blessed with a beautiful wife and two children, with one on the way, who have walked this journey with me every step of the way. The three main things that make up who I am are faith, family and country. These are the three most important things in my life, things that echo throughout this entire album. See, I’ve lived a lot of life in some very short years.  I’ve realized nothing is as amazing as God's love and mercy, and that’s what I wanted to write about. Life songs. Songs written about not only the stress and pains of life that we face every day, but songs written about His mercy that we don’t deserve, yet He so freely gives, and it is what I respect and honor. Come to the River is me. It's made up of songs that tell my story.