John Michael Talbot is a busy man.
He's founder and spiritual leader of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage, a Catholic lay community in Berryville. He leads Catholic revivals at churches large and small across the country. He hosts the All Things Are Possible television show, and he writes books -- lots of books -- the latest being Monk Dynasty.
And, then there's the music.
Longtime fans will remember Talbot from his days performing with his brother Terry in the folk rock group Mason Proffit in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Die-hard fans would also know Talbot from his time with Sounds Unlimited or the Talbot Brothers, groups he also formed with his brother. More recent fans might only know him as the "Troubadour of the Lord," a Grammy Award-winning Christian musician.
In his Christian music career alone he has released 55 albums -- the latest came out Friday after a five-year hiatus from recording. It's titled The Inner Room, and it's his first album since Worship and Bow Down debuted in 2011, which Talbot thought would be his last album.
His fans had other ideas. They wanted more.
"We kept getting requests for more stuff and I said, 'No,'" Talbot said, adding that he considered the recording world "dead."
"But so many requested more, so off we go to the races and I'm very, very pleased with the result," he said.
Talbot said his goal was to produce something "very, very simple," not an overly done, over-the-top album. It's just him singing and playing guitar, along with a few friends adding musical accompaniment -- among them are country music superstar Ricky Skaggs on mandolin and fiddle and Dove Award-winning guitarist and recording artist Phil Keaggy on guitar.
For the project, Talbot wanted something uplifting and based on the words of Christ.
Talbot said he sees "so much anger, fear and polarization" as he travels the country leading his revivals. "Christians of all sides are fighting ... with really snarky things coming out, and I thought, let's go to the Sermon on the Mount and hang the whole thing on that. What did Jesus actually teach, and gosh, is it challenging."
The album starts out with "The Beatitudes" and focuses on just that -- the Beatitudes found in the Book of Matthew as Jesus begins his sermon. Talbot calls the Beatitudes the "heart of the Sermon on the Mount." The song is a mashup of styles -- classic Talbot singing and playing guitar with a Middle Eastern musical flair.
"It was fun to bring in a Middle Eastern sound. It's a theme I would like to develop into a full project later," Talbot said, adding that he used the musical style to emphasize that "Jesus was Middle Eastern, not a WASP [white Anglo-Saxon Protestant]."
The second song, "You Are the Light," contains the bulk of the Sermon on the Mount set as a folk song. Talbot said he tried to cut out some verses so the song wouldn't be so long -- it runs 8 minutes -- but couldn't do it.
"How do you cut the words of Jesus?" he asked.
Other songs include "Revive Us" from Ezekiel 37, "The Inner Room" which focuses on seeking a loving relationship with God through prayer, "The Our Father With Doxology," which features the Lord's Prayer , and "My God, My God," based on Psalm 22 and Jesus' prayer from the cross.
The remaining tracks are "Change My Life," based on the act of contrition and repentance; "One Thing," which has a Celtic vibe; "Enter the Narrow Gate," done in a more traditional hymn style; and "Go Now in Peace," based on the night prayer of the Roman Liturgy of the Hours.
"It reminds us that peace is not cheap," Talbot said. "A sword pierced the hearts of Mary and Jesus. A sword pierces the heart of the Church. But peace comes through the good news that only Jesus can bring to the world. With him you can bring it to everyone you meet!"
Talbot, 62, said he enjoyed the recording experience and reconnecting with old friends.
"We had a lot of fun," he said.
Talbot said he hopes listeners will find a sense of healing and revival in the music.
"I wanted to go to an inner retreat with the words of Jesus -- words that heal and revive us and words that can bring us together if we'll only listen and go to that inner room which can give people the peace only Jesus can bring," he said.
Talbot will take his "The Inner Room" tour to Conway for a one-night performance at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1115 College Ave. No tickets are required.
Information is available online at johnmichaeltalbot.com.
Religion on 09/24/2016