CD Review: "Hymned No. 1" by Bart Millard

Every month I check out Amazon's $5 mp3 albums. Sometimes they have some really good deals and although I don't buy very many of them, I have bought several albums when they have been on the $5 sale as it is generally much cheaper, in that instance, to buy the entire album than to buy the songs individually for 99-cents each!

Normally there are only 100 albums available each month on the $5 special. During the month of January there were 1000! I happened to see Hymned, No. 1 by Bart Millard on the list. I had received a free download of his version of "Power in the Blood" a few months back and loved it, so when I saw the album for $5 and listened to the previews, I knew it would be good. Apparently this CD has been out since 2005 so I don't know how I missed it until now, but I the good news is now I know about it. :)

For those of you who don't know who Bart Millard is, he is the lead singer for the widely-popular Christian music group MercyMe (who I happened to see live in concert last spring at the Rock & Worship Roadshow). If you've ever heard the song "I Can Only Imagine," that is who wrote it/sings it. Anyway, I downloaded the mp3 album, and I love it. The arrangements are, to me, excellent.

Here's the track listing (I linked to all the ones I could find on YouTube):

1. Just a Closer Walk With Thee
2. Mawmaw's Song (In The Sweet By & By)
3. Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Savior
4. Have a Little Talk With Jesus
5. Take My Hand, Precious Lord (one of my favorites on the album)
6. Softly and Tenderly
7. Sweetest Name I Know
8. Power in the Blood
9. My Jesus I Love Thee/Tis So Sweet
10. The Old Rugged Cross

I encourage you to check out Hymned, No. 1 by Bart Millard. And if Hymned Again (a follow-up CD) ever goes on sale, I bet you'll see a review on that album, too, someday. :)