A lot of country music fans will not immediately recognize the name Matthew West.  It’s unfortunate because he has penned songs for some of our favorite country music artists;  Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, Diamond Rio, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Jo Dee Messina, Steel Magnolia and a host of others.

As an artist Matthew’s success has grown mostly in the Christian music sector but this talented artist has had the pleasure of playing in front of great country music fans on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry.

Good Friday was the perfect day to see Matthew at the Casting Crowns “Come to the Well” tour as it passed through Chattanooga, TN.    The charming  and witty songwriter took to the stage with a presence that told the audience he was there to share his story and the stories of his songs with a set that would speak to and warm coldest of hearts.  The songs carry stories of pain and suffering with an outcome that is bigger than any of us can explain.

I have had the opportunity to attend many concerts throughout the years.  I almost always come away with a greater appreciation of the artists’ music and a deeper understanding of their songs through the stories told.  I walked away from this show with a whole new level of understanding.  It was one of the most moving and engaging show I’ve seen to date.

If you have read anything about Matthew West’s, The Story Of Your Life, you know Matthew locked himself in a cabin for months, pouring over thousands of fan submitted stories about their lives and through that, found inspiration for the 10 songs on his album.   It is a special album with songs that I believe country music fans will be able to connect with.

Earlier this year Matthew once again opened an invite for people to submit their stores for his new album slated to debut in the fall of this year. After receiving over 10,000 personal stories from all over the globe for his The Story of Your Life, the acclaimed singer/songwriter who has been forever impacted by the outpouring of stories, felt as though there was even more for others to say during this season of his music.   He will begin recording the new album in the spring of this year with a plan to unveil the set of new songs in September.

“Even after [The Story of Your Life] was released and I was no longer officially collecting stories, the stories did not stop pouring in,” explains West. “On average, over a hundred stories have been sent to my website every week during these last two years. I could sense this season of telling the stories of peoples’ lives wasn’t quite finished yet. I’m beyond excited to take this journey with you with this new season of stories and songs.”

You can find out more about Matthew West and his music at:   www.matthewwest.com You can still catch him on the road with the Casting Crowns “Come to the Well” tour through May 2012.

You can see the rest of our pictures from the show on our Flickr page here.

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