“I wanted it to be about Joseph and how I saw my life intertwined in the samekind of way,” he says. The title track is a special song to Butler, who says he drew inspiration from his own life as well as thestory of Joseph in the Bible. It’s all on the record and I feel like it’s the best record I’ve made in a very long time.” We talkedfor hours and he would say, ‘JB, all I want to do is capture everything you are and what God is taking youthrough.’ He did it. He’s very sensitive to what the artist is going through. I just felt hewould be the right fit for me and he would understand what I wanted to say on this album,” Butler says.“He’s an anointed man. “Ireally wanted to make a record with Mano because we’ve worked so well together before. I wanted to write asong to give Him glory.”įree was produced by Luther “Mano” Hanes, who also wrote the songs “Where Would I Be” and “NeverFind A Better Love.” Butler and Hanes previously worked together on Butler’s Brand New Day album. I had only one thing left and that was to stay as closeto God as possible through my trials and through the journey that I’ve been through. “I just wanted to glorify God as God through His creation-the oceans and trees,and the mountains roaring the sound of His voice. “I wrote that one morning sitting at the piano in thestudio,” Butler recalls. “I Am That I Am” is a beautiful worship anthem. “Where Would I Be”is a tender ballad that serves as a prayerful thank you to the heavenly Father for His love and guidinghand.
The opening track, “You Are The One,” is abuoyant celebration of God’s faithfulness and the joy in Butler’s voice is contagious. Never hasButler sounded more passionate than on this collection.
JONATHAN BUTLER FREE
The songs on Free are a testimony to the power of faith and the goodness of God’s mercy. All the songs on the album havereally moved me because I’ve been living all of what this album is saying.” It’s just been a journey of seeing God removing the lowhanging fruit to make room for a tree to be stronger and bear more fruits.
God has taken me to awhole other level, a whole other place in my life. I wrote‘Moving On’ which is a declaration of where I’m finding myself in my life right now. “I was going through quite a lot personally and I wanted to make that statementvery clear on this album that I’m in a new season in my life,” he says.
Yet God kept His hand on Butler andhelped him through it all. At seven o’clock thatnight my house was on fire and all I remember is being in an ambulance with burn marks and thinkingabout the words that God gave me early that morning.”īutler recovered from the fire, but continued to face other challenges, including the loss of loved onesand seeing people closest to him struggle with difficult issues. God gave me those words to ‘Be Encouraged.’ God is on the throne. “It was five in the morning and Icouldn’t sleep. “I wrote ‘Be Encouraged’ the morning of the fire,” Butler shares. A candle caused a fire in his Californiahome and Butler suffered second-degree burns rescuing his seven-year-old granddaughter from theblaze. When Butler speaks of going through a fire, it’s not a metaphor. With the timing of all these things happening to me andin the midst of all of that, writing a record was pretty heavy.” It’s been a crazy three or four years,” Butler says.“So this album is a testimony of God’s goodness. “I’ve been through a fire and all kinds of challenges. Jonathan Butler has spent a lifetime writing and recording music that uplifts and encourages others, butas he penned songs for his latest album, Free, available October 30, he had no idea God would use hisown work to minister to him in a powerful and unexpected way.