Singer-Songwriter Charles Billingsley Unveils ‘Replay’

Musician and worship leader Charles Billingsley is sharing personal favorites and timeless spiritual compositions with his latest album, “Replay.” The StowTown Records release was born from a meeting with his label, and what began as a music project for churches transformed into a full studio album.

Billingsley explained that, originally, he was going to put together a resource record which would give churches access to recordings of individual parts of songs from an album, from the orchestral section to the choir parts.

But as he worked on the project, he also had a thought in the back of his mind. “In my heart, I had been wanting to do a record full of remakes of … songs that really meant a lot to me,” he told The Epoch Times. “Songs that, when I was in high school and college, really spoke to me and helped me in my spiritual journey.”

So, he and his label combined visions. A record that acts as a resource record for churches, he explained, but one that would double as an album full of classic remakes. “The song arrangements were so fun to come up with,” he said. But one spiritual song has been especially rewarding for Billingsley to reimagine and debut—a hymn written more than 150 years ago and one that continues to comfort and unite people today.

A Hymn Reaches New Heights

Billingsley describes the 10 tracks on “Replay” as 10 different sermons. When asked if he has a favorite on the album, his new cover of the 19th-century hymn “It Is Well” came to mind. “I’ve often said if I had one song left to sing, that would be the one,” he shared in a phone interview.

The performer has played the spiritual ballad live for decades, often with piano accompaniment or a streamlined rhythm section. But for the version included on “Replay,” he wanted to do something a little different—an orchestral arrangement paired with the song’s powerful lyrics.

Bradley Knight, one of the producers for the album, headed up the orchestration for the hymn. Billingsley shared that the producer’s vision took the recording to new heights. “It is absolutely stunning,” he said. “That one turned out really great.”

“It Is Well” was written by Horatio G. Spafford after experiencing a series of tragedies, including the loss of his four daughters in a shipwreck. Music was later added to Spafford’s lyrics by Philip P. Bliss, and the song went on to become a comforting church standard that reached widespread appeal.

Billingsley said that the classic hymn is always a favorite among audiences, whether they are of a secular background or Christian background. “That song never fails,” he said.

A Timeless Collection

Other longtime favorites of Billingsley included on “Replay” are the gospel song “Midnight Cry,” and “Trumpet of Jesus,” a song near and dear to his heart due to his background as a trumpet player in high school.

For the celebratory remake of The Imperials’s classic, Grammy Award-winning artist Russ Taff, who was the lead vocalist for the group before embarking on a solo career, joined Billingsley in the studio for a duo performance. “That was probably one of the funnest days in the studio, being with him and listening to him sing,” Billingsley shared. “Then doing these little duet parts together was just a hoot. He’s hilarious. He’s a lot of fun.”

For Billingsley, the enduring hymns and contemporary classics included on “Replay” all have a timeless quality. “I like to create music that, 30 years from now, still feels appropriate and culturally relevant,” he said. The vocalist explained that is one reason why he was so drawn to orchestral stylings for the album.

Over centuries, the orchestra has manifested a close connection among its audiences—a connection Billingsley believes will continue for a long time. “The more real it feels, the more timeless it becomes,” he said.

Then, he shared the artistic vision he has for his body of work moving forward: “The older I get and the longer I’ve been doing this, the more timeless I want my music to be.”

Listeners can stream or purchase “Replay” now.

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