Christmas and Easter, the birth and death of Jesus Christ, our Savior. These two holidays mark the core of our Christian faith. We flock to church to celebrate and reflect on what these two moments in history mean to humanity.
Back in 2013, Tommee Profitt woke on Christmas morning with music and words to add to the classic carol “The First Noel.” Seven years later, he released his cinematic Christmas experience “The Birth of a King.” This Easter, he’s releasing the sequel “The Resurrection of a King.” This full-circle offering, will be the masterpiece that Tommee will be remembered for. “I truly felt commissioned to make this album, like it was a life purpose,” Profitt declares.
Just like “The Birth of a King,” his Easter rendition “The Resurrection of a King” features reimagined hymns with a cinematic spin including “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Up From the Grave He Arose,” “Jesus Paid It All,” “Nothing but the Blood,” “Just As I Am,” and “Amazing Grace.” “This album is a cinematic reimagining of timeless hymns,” says Tommee, “These old traditional songs are so rich and meaty in content, but some of them aren’t very accessible to how people listen to and sing along with music today.”
Profitt worked with some of our most beloved artists to create this album: Phil Wickham, Jen Johnson, Crowder, Jamie MacDonald, CeCe Winans, Jon Reddick, Ben Fuller and more. “I started with the list of songs first. And as the arrangements came together, a very specific voice came to mind that would be perfect to deliver each one. Each arrangement was specifically leaned in and tailored to their individual voice, range, tone, and strength,” Tommee explains. “These incredible artists all, one by one, came and gave the performance of a lifetime. I am so honored that they said yes, and so thankful for this project and the collaborative effort to fulfill this vision.”
Songs of Tommee Profitt The Resurrection of a King
The song penned “He Arose” is the first song to be unveiled. “This first song is a perfect way to kick off the project,” shares Profitt. “We took the old hymn ‘Up from the Grave He Arose’ and wrote a brand new anthem for today.” Wickham, who sings “He Arose” adds, “This song is so epic, and I’m truly honored to be part of it. It’s a massive celebration of our risen King Jesus.”
Jon Reddick proclaims “Just As I Am” is more like a battle cry of surrender, which is far from the original version. “There are some incredible lyric lines in this hymn that I think get overlooked, maybe because the song is often sung so happily. Lines like to rid my soul of one dark blot are actually really intense and powerful. Or whose blood can cleanse each spot. It’s heavy. It carries weight. And as I was reading through it, I realized this song needed to feel a little meaner,” describes Tommee Profitt, “There’s confidence in saying, I come just as I am. That’s a bold declaration. So I leaned into that and made something that felt gritty, confident, and strong. As soon as it started turning into this rock-gospel moment, I knew it had to be Jon Reddick.”
“Nothing but the Blood,” a quintessential Easter song slid into the album last second. Days before the album was due, Tommee woke up in a panic realizing that he had forgotten to include “Nothing but the Blood” in his album. So, he stayed up all night working on the song, and called Jeremy Rosado the next day asking him to be the voice. “Him calling my managers, them calling me, me being in the studio three days later, this was a God thing. I get emotional thinking about it,” shares Jeremy. They recorded the song while doing the final edits to the album, “It’s heavy to sing ‘Nothing but the Blood’, because in moments I feel undeserving to be able to declare this but I’m so thankful for it,” says Rosado. “It’s the greatest thing I could ever do… telling people about my Jesus, because of the price that was paid for me and the blood of Jesus that was shed.”
Powerful Project of Tommee Profitt
“Our hope is that this project will breathe new life into these timeless classics. Each song feels like a cover and an original all at the same time. I’ve personally never been more inspired making music in my entire life, than when working on this project. The process was so powerful and emotional – I couldn’t explain it if I tried,” says Tommee Profitt. “With this project, I wanted people to feel like they were there at the cross, or standing outside the tomb as Jesus walked out. That overwhelming, chills-inducing moment,” explains Profitt. “I had tears in my eyes almost every day working on this project. The music was overwhelming. The content was overwhelming. The subject matter was overwhelming.”
