| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Christianity Today | [2] |
| Cross Rhythms |   [3] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [4] |
Strong Tower is a worship album released by the Christian rock group, Kutless and is also their third studio album. An enhanced deluxe edition of this album was released on March 20, 2007 with additional tracks and the "Strong Tower" live music video.[5] The title track of this record, "Strong Tower", was once in the Top 5 on ChristianRock.net. The album peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard 200[6] and No. 4 on the Billboard Christian Albums.[7] Five years later, in 2010, the album reached the Billboard Catalog Albums chart peaking at No. 39.[8] The album was certified Gold by RIAA in 2009 and is Kutless' best selling album to date. The official music video for "Strong Tower" came out on YouTube in February 27, 2009, included lead singer Jon Micah Sumrall, guitarists James Mead and Nick DePartee, bassist Dave Luetkenhoelter and drummer Jeffrey Gilbert.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Fall Down" | Chris Tomlin | 3:09 |
| 2. | "Finding Who We Are" | Lee Shamburger | 3:10 |
| 3. | "Take Me In" | Dave Browning | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Ready For You" | Jon Micah Sumrall | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Draw Me Close" | Kelly Carpenter | 3:47 |
| 6. | "All Who Are Thirsty" | Brenton Brown, Glenn Robertson | 4:13 |
| 7. | "Better Is One Day" | Matt Redman | 4:50 |
| 8. | "All of the Words" | Jon Micah Sumrall, Kyle Mitchell, James Mead, Ryan Shrout, Aaron Sprinkle | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Strong Tower" | Marc Byrd, Mark Lee, Jon Micah Sumrall, Aaron Sprinkle | 3:58 |
| 10. | "Jesus Lord of Heaven" | Phil Wickham | 3:21 |
| 11. | "I Lift My Eyes" | Brian Doerksen | 3:32 |
| 12. | "Word of God Speak" | Bart Millard, Pete Kipley | 3:47 |
| 13. | "Arms of Love" | Craig Musseau | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 52:31 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "We Exalt Thee" | 3:19 |
| 15. | "My Savior and My God" | 3:38 |
| 16. | "Strong Tower" (Live) | 4:00 |
Personnel
Kutless
- Jon Micah Sumrall – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- James Mead – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ryan Shrout – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Kyle Zeigler – bass guitar
- Kyle Mitchell – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Phil Peterson – cello on "Arms of Love" and "Strong Tower"
- Anne-Marie Hunsaker – backing vocals on "Arms of Love"
Production
- Produced and Engineered by Aaron Sprinkle
- Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 & 10 mixed by JR McNeely
- Tracks 5, 6, 9, 11, 12 & 13 mixed by Skidd Mills
- Additional Engineering – Zach Hodges
- Assistant Engineer – Austin Thomason
- Drum Technician – Aaron Mlasko
- Executive Producer – Brandon Ebel
- Recorded and Mixed at Compound Recording (Seattle, WA).
- Mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
In media
The title track, "Strong Tower", is used as a walk-up song by an outfielder David Murphy for the Texas Rangers and an outfielder Matt Murton for Japan's Hanshin Tigers. The song also made it to Rock Band, as a DLC on January 2011. It is only available for Xbox 360.
Awards and certifications
The album was nominated for a Dove Award for Praise & Worship Album of the Year at the 37th GMA Dove Awards. The title song was also nominated for Worship Song of the Year.[9]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Christianity Today review". Christianitytoday.com. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
- ^ "Cross Rhythms review". Crossrhythms.co.uk. July 13, 2005. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
- ^ "Jesus Freak Hideout review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. March 1, 2005. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived February 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kutless - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ^ Kutless Christian Albums on Billboard.com
- ^ "Kutless - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ^ 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards Nominations & Winners Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine on About.com; Jones, Kim
- ^ "American album certifications – Kutless – Strong Tower". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
Music video
A video that consists of the band playing at night outside of the Lincoln Memorial courthouse building was released.