Colton Dixon's debut full-length album, A Messenger, released Jan. 29. The album, which takes its title from the Bible passage John 13:16 and is being released on the EMI-distributed Christian label Sparrow Records, is an alt-rock CCM crossover record (like Lifehouse and Switchfoot)—-something Colton may not have had the freedom to record if he'd actually won Idol and signed to Jimmy Iovine's Interscope Records, Colton admits.
"With me wanting to do Christian music, it was definitely a blessing that I didn't win. I would have found a way, had I won, to maybe not be as lyrically pinpointing about my religion, but it would still have the same message; you would've just had to a dig a little deeper or whatever. I see it more as a blessing in disguise that I was cut so early, so that I could start writing. Everything was timed perfectly as far as that goes."
Working with his production team, Red Decibel (Adam Watts and Andy Dodd), as well as with seasoned songsmiths like Lifehouse's Jason Wade, Evanescence's David Hodges, and Busbee (Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera, Keith Urban, Daughtry, Adam Lambert), Colton created exactly the kind of album he wanted to make.
"Listening to my record and listening to other CCM records, there's a big difference. I'm definitely bringing an edge to Christian music--lyrically, and definitely musically. I just think it's something fresh for Christian music, so I'm excited. It's just a different style that I haven't heard in Christian music before. It's going to be interesting to see what Christian music fans think of the record."
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
Colton Dixon [A Messenger]| Posted January 22, 2013 Colton Dixon turned heads on American Idol with his mesmerizing voice and performances. A Messenger is his Sparrow Records debut. The album takes its title from the Bible passage John 13:16: “Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the One who sent him.” Starting with the instrumental “Intro,” the album quickly displays Dixon’s rock influence with the standout song “Noise.” The idea of the song is to break from the noise and hear that still, small voice—just knowing that at the end of it all, even through the noise, everything's going to be okay. Surefire hit song “I’ll be the Light” is tailor made for Christian radio. The transparent and personal lyrics are infectious: “I'll be the light when there's nothing but night/Till now you've had to feel your way through the honest lies of yesterday/I'll guide you in no matter how long you've been/Lost in love and all alone/A million miles away from home/And when your dawn refuses to fight/I'll be the light.” It's very sing-able and a great song.
Dixon is already a chart-topping artist via the album's first two singles, "Never Gone" and "You Are," both of which were released this past fall.The chorus of “You Are” is very catchy: “You are the air I breathe in, You are the hope I'm needing.”Dixon says—“To me, that's worship. Whatever song I'm singing, I want God to be the focus and all around me; He's the hope that gets me through to the next day. Amen. “Scars” is a fantastic song co-written with Rob Hawkins. A poignant lyric is“Scars remind us who we are.” According to Colton, “it's a map of where we've been in life; you can look at a scar and it immediately takes you back to what happened to create that. And at the end of the song, it ties in with my faith, and it says, God,Yourscars remind us whoweare.”
Closing ballad “Let Them See You” is one of my favorite songs on the album and has already become a personal anthem to sing to God daily
in devotional times of prayer and reflection. Third Day’s Scotty Wilbanks wrote the song and sent it to Colton for his album. This is a wonderful song of encouragement and prayer to ask God to break your pride, live redemption's story, and move closer to who we're meant to be in Christ. At some point, we all make mistakes and need to ask God for forgiveness. God wants to give us His grace and mercy, we need to fall down at His feet and pray. Believing the words of this song is a great way to work on the disciplines of self-examination and prayer. You can know Jesus personally. Reach out to Him and know with certainty: "perfect love casts out fear."
CLOSING THOUGHTS A Messenger includes 11 soaring, modern rock-infused contemporary vertical focused songs that resemble a blend of MercyMe, Coldplay and fellow American Idol alum Jason Castro. There are several standout songs including “Noise,” “I’ll be the Light,” “Scars,”"You Are," "Never Gone" and “Let Them See You.” These songs will certainly connect with radio listeners and showcase the multi-talented singer/songwriter's trademark balance with vocal tenderness and intensity, his energetic piano playing and, above all, a sense of hope and inspiration. This album is all about finding our true identity in Christ. He is the answer. This album encourages listeners to be a messenger.
Very Good!| Posted February 04, 2014
Such a great album! I couldn't wait to buy this album. Colton is a great artist for being so young. My favorite song are Noise, Never Gone and This is Who I Am. His music has such a great message. I can't wait for his next cd.
Love Has Come For Me| Posted June 24, 2013
Colton Dixon made an incredible first album. The rock is amazing and the vocals are blended perfectly. With a mix of piano and electric guitar, fast and slow songs, 'A Messenger' has got it all.
The 'Intro' builds up excitment as we dive headfirst into 'Noise'. In a world with so many distractions, we need to listen for God's voice.
Moving on, we hear 'I'll Be The Light'. It's a little slower than the previous song, but still just as pasionate.
Colton's first radio single, 'You Are' is a beautiful worship song. It's very meaningful and full of emotion.
'Never Gone' is one of my favorites. "I'm still standing here, No I didn't disapear. Now the lights are on, See I was never gone. I let go of your hand, To help you understand. With you all along, Oh, I was never gone." It talks about God being there for you. Always. He'll never leave you, or forsake you, he'll always be there even when we can't find him. This song is so full.
Next we see 'Love Has Come For Me'. The best line has got to be "I'm never gonna get it all together. So what's left to do but surrender". I find it so amazing how true the song can be for me.
'Scars' is simply touching. All those things we wish we could change, all those things we regret. "Scars remind us who we are". The bridge is incredibly powerful. It's a desperate cry out to God. I love how at the end of the song it changes from 'Our scars' to 'Your scars' . It's so amazing to think of Jesus dying for us, and what it took. 'Scars' hits so many key points. It's beautiful.
'Rise' and 'Where My Heart Goes' perfectly follow the past songs. I personally love the bridge of 'Where My Heart Goes'. "Runs to, cligns to, Jesus, I so need You. I want You to be where my heart goes". Mix that with the killer vocals, and you're 'wowed'.
'This Is Who I Am' is rocking. It's excelent and exciting.
The most exhilerating song on the album is 'In and Out of Time'. It's fast pace, builds to a climax, and crazy. It's just awesome!
The final song on the album is 'Let Them See You' . Colton considered it the album's missing piece, but now it ties together everything perfectly. It's the only exclusivly piano song on the album, and it's also the prettiest.
The vocals on this album are huge. They're so cool. The instruments are amazing. The lyrics are gripping. This album is literally invigerating. It's one of my all time favorites. It will touch your life.
AMAZING| Posted February 25, 2013
I personally love Colton Dixon! This album is amazing! I got it the daty it was released and listened to it non-stop for days after. My favorite songs on it are "You Are" and "Scars" they both have great messages :)
A Messenger| Posted February 13, 2013 Colton Dixon is most known for placing 7th in Fox's 11th season of American Idol. He's been doing music almost since he was three years old. Although he also plays guitar, he is most known for playing keyboard/piano. He is here with his debut album A Messenger. I'd call the album mostly Lifehouse-sounding with a couple of songs that sound like Muse or Evanescence. Worshipful ballads, such as "You Are" and rock anthems like "In and Out Of Time" make this album perfect for an indie rock fan.
The album starts off with a 48 second intro to the album's lead track "Noise." In the song, Dixon relates days to car alarms. The car alarms then represent all the temptation that the world has out there. It seems that sometimes they are so loud, that we can't hear God's voice. He asks God if he is there and to call his name. At the end, he knows that he will be okay because God is there with him through it all. "I'll Be The Light" is the album's third track. The song is saying that before God, everything was dark and we couldn't see. Once you finally come to and accept His love, God is like a flashlight that helps you see clearly, even in the darkest of nights.
"You Are" is the album's current single. It is a beautiful worship song that's calling God everything. In the bridge of the song, Dixon is saying that if he didn't have a voice or tongue, he would worship God by dancing for him instead of singing. When his day is done, he will shout all the praises to the God who saved his life. The first original song Dixon ever shared with the world was "Never Gone" back in June. It's another Alternative Worship song that is God talking to us when we feel lost and have no sense of direction. He assures us that He "Never, ever left us" and will always be there when we need Him.
The album's sixth track, "Love Has Come For Me," is one of my favorite songs on the album. It's an awesome Christian Rock radio-ready song. In the track, he feels like he is lost and can never get God's forgiveness because he keeps failing. He eventually realizes that Love (God) is there and has always been there and surrenders to It (Him). "Scars" is a Museish sounding song. Muse has those quiet piano ballads that always turns into an anthem rock song. In the song, he feels defeated by his addictions. In the chorus, he states that "Scars remind us of who we are," meaning Jesus' scars after he died on the cross for the world. He gave us His life, so we must eventually give our lives back to Him.
In "Rise," the album's eighth track, is a song that talks about a young girl who abuses herself and has thoughts of suicide. In the song, God tells the girl to rise because He loves her and knows that she has a purpose in her life. "Where My Heart Goes" immediately follows "Rise." It's an awesome song where Dixon is praising God and proclaiming that God is where he wants his heart goes. It's another awesome worship song that he wrote just to praise God in all His awesomeness.
In an interview with Yahoo, Dixon said that "This Is Who I Am" is an anthem saying that everyone will see the world in their own unique and different ways. He said he won't change for anybody, cause everyone has their own little "quirks" or they are weird in their own way, which I find to be just amazing. My all time favorite song on the album is "In And Out Of Time." It is a legit, anthem-ready rock tune. Even though he said that the album is more of a Christian effort, I believe this song would have the most chance going to a Mainstream Rock station. It's a Muse rock sounding tune that explains that we have limited days left because we know Jesus will be coming soon. His past keeps haunting him in the song, so he feels like he's running in and out of time.
The final song on the album is actually a cover. "Let Them See You" was the only song on the record Dixon didn't write. Scotty Wilbanks, who plays keys for the band Third Day, sent him this song on the early stages of working on the album. The song is just his piano and his voice. He said in an interview with Yahoo that he loved putting it on the end of the record, because it describes how he ended Idol and he wanted to end his album in a similar way, with God at the center of it all.
Most of the songs cowritten by guys who penned some of Kelly Clarkson and Switchfoot's biggest hits, this album is sure to also be a hit! A perfect mix of rock and worship make this the perfect record for anyone who likes indie rock. Dixon had a lot to accomplish on this record with both mainstream and Christian fans, and he did it more perfect than ever! This is very likely gonna be among my top 5 records of 2013.
5| Posted February 12, 2013
I was so excited to hear he was coming out with an album so quickly, and even more excited to know that he didn't just start songwriting. I pre-ordered the album and I'm waiting for my Skullcandies to be repaired so I can give it a listen!
Really Good| Posted February 03, 2013
Afer listening to some clips from his CD it sounds really good. Colton brings an energy and a new sound to the Christian music scene. He has a really good potential future. Awesome music and very God honoring lyrics.
You Are| Posted February 01, 2013
You are is such a powerful song the moment i heard it i put it in my mental top 10 songs i cant wait to check out the rest of your album im sure all of the other songs are just as great! The album artwork is epic though
American Idol / Christs Messenger| Posted January 24, 2013
Colton Dixon has made such an impact on so many young people today and his song is truly a reflection of his devotion towards God.
As of yet, I 've only heard his song You Are and I think its the perfect viewpoint that young people need to possess in this present generation. So many people believe in Christ Jesus, but out of the multitude, a very make God a priority in their lives.
You Are reminds us that God is our creator and He is in everthing that is a part of this world. It reminds us that we should worship our Heavenly Father through everything and I feel that thats what the Christian life is all about.
to add lyrics if not listed.
