NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 5, 2012) – New Haven Records and RSI Music Group have announced that Academy of Country Music award-winner Gordon Mote’s new Christmas project,The Star Still Shines, will hit store shelves October 16. The holiday CD combines Southern Gospel, inspirational, and country music-flavored renditions of new and traditional Christmas songs and carols, including Michael W. Smith’s classic “Emmanuel” and Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Christmas Is All In the Heart.”
In addition to 10 tracks on The Star Still Shines featuring Mote’s warm, engaging vocals, the musician’s award-winning keyboard prowess is spotlighted on the instrumental interludes “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Away In A Manger,” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” The first single from the project, an exhilarating vocal/keyboard arrangement of “Go Tell It On the Mountain,” releases to radio in November.
“I remember the first Christmas with my wife, Kimberly. We had a little 700-square foot apartment in Nashville and a scrawny little ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree. We crammed our friends and family into that tiny living room, dimmed the lights and sang Christmas carols. What sweet days those were … simple, yet so full,” Mote reflects. “Now that we have children of our own, we are blessed with new memories. It is our prayer that as you listen to these songs, you, too, will sit back and think of all you have to be thankful for this Christmas.”
“From poignant to powerful, this CD celebrates the ‘Christ’ in Christmas in the fresh, creative, and heartfelt manner that has made Gordon one of the brightest emerging artists in music today,” says Ken Harding, president of New Haven Records. “It’s the kind of fun, yet meaningful, music you want playing while you decorate the tree or sit down for Christmas dinner. We are thrilled to bring the world another extraordinary project from this amazing artist.”
The Star Still Shines is New Haven’s second Gordon Mote release in 2012, following Songs I Grew Up Singing, an inspiring musical diary of landmark songs that not only shaped his music and ministry, but also inspired a generation of Gospel music lovers. Singles from that project include Mote’s renditions of the Hinson’s hit “Call Me Gone” and the Gaither classic, “This Is the Time I Must Sing.”
Photo caption, top: Gordon Mote’s The Star Still Shines will be released October 16 by New Haven Records. (New Haven Records photo)
Photo caption, bottom: Gordon Mote is a New Haven Records recording artist. (New Haven Records photo)
About Gordon Mote:
Mote, who recently was voted “Top Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year” at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, began playing piano at the age of 3 and toured with his family’s singing group until his undeniable talent made him an award-winning Nashville sessions player (Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts, Lionel Richie, Alison Krauss). Mote recently wrapped up a six-year stint singing and playing for the popular Gaither Homecoming concerts and recordings so that he could devote more time to his family and expanding solo career.
The vocalist and keyboardist extraordinaire has been blind since birth, but his words and music reach beyond the ears to the heart. More than his undeniable talent, Mote’s fans appreciate his ability to communicate the love of Christ to a world in need of hope.
Mote’s fans can read more about the keyboardist in the October 2012 issue of Singing News where he will be featured as the cover story.
About New Haven Records:
New Haven Records is a Nashville-based music corporation that includes label, publishing, and film companies. For more than two decades, they have focused on the uniquely American genres of Black Gospel, Southern Gospel, and Country & Bluegrass Gospel. New Haven’s product is distributed to the mainstream through Sony and to the Christian marketplace through Provident Music Distribution. For additional information, go to www.newhavenrecords.com.
