Starlight (Bethel Music album)

Starlight (stylized as star-light) is the ninth live album and thirteenth album overall by California-based worship collective Bethel Music. The album was released on April 7, 2017, by the group's imprint label, Bethel Music.[1][2] Chris Greely and Ran Jackson worked on the production of the album.[3]

"Star-light" redirects here. For other uses, see starlight (disambiguation).
Starlight
Live album by
Bethel Music
ReleasedApril 7, 2017 (2017-04-07)
RecordedOctober 2016
VenueVarious cities of the East Coast, U.S.
Genre
Length76:53
LabelBethel Music
Producer
  • Chris Greely
  • Ran Jackson
Bethel Music live album chronology
Have It All
(2016)		 Starlight
(2017)		 Moments: Mighty Sound
(2018)
Bethel Music chronology
Have It All
(2016)		 Starlight
(2017)		 After All These Years (Instrumental)
(2017)
Singles from Starlight
  1. "Take Courage"
    Released: May 8, 2017

Background

Starlight was recorded in October 2016 when Bethel Music went on a Worship Nights Tour, ministering in cities across the East Coast of the United States with guest worship leader, Francesca Battistelli and guest speakers Lisa Bevere and Havilah Cunnington.[4][5][6]

Promotion

Three songs, "Starlight" by Amanda Cook, "Take Courage" by Kristene DiMarco and "King of My Heart" by Steffany Gretzinger and Jeremy Riddle were made available for instant download on March 17, 2017, the first day of the pre-order period in the lead up to the album's release.[7][8]

Singles

A studio version of "Take Courage" was released in digital format as the lead single from the album on May 8, 2017. The song then impacted Christian radio on June 16, 2017.[9]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
365 Days of Inspiring Media[10]
CCM Magazine[11]
The Christian Beat[12]
ChurchMag[13]
Hallels[14]
Jesus Freak Hideout[15]
NewReleaseToday[16]
Today's Christian Entertainment[17]

The reception of Starlight was quite positive from various critics of CCM and contemporary worship music genres.[18]

Joshua Andre designated the album a four and a half star rating at 365 Days of Inspiring Media, calling Starlight "a brilliant album for a well-respected church and group!"[10] At CCM Magazine, Matt Conner rated the album four-point-five stars out of five, he cautions that "the entire album warrants repeated listens."[11] Rating the album four and a half stars in a review at The Christian Beat, Madeleine Dittmer believes that "Starlight conveys a message of hope that God is near in our joy and in our darkness. The songs provide a way for listeners to worship in all seasons of life by proclaiming truth and providing words for moments when they may be hard to find. Bethel Music has yet again released a powerful collection that will have a lasting impact on listeners."[12] Bestowing the album a perfect five stars in a ChurchMag review, Phil Schneider says "One thing I've learned is that there are two main camps of worship music: the anthemic and the contemplative. However, Bethel Music is forcing me to unlearn this with their new album Starlight, which boasts contemplative melodies and anthemic lyrics. The combination of this pairing produces a worship experience that brings peace to the soul while fueling the dissatisfaction that points the soul to the eternal, Almighty God, who created, sustains, and passionately pursues us."[13] Timothy Yap of Hallels gave Starlight a four star rating in his review, concluding that "On the whole, "Starlight" does glow with some very powerful worship moments, though not all the "stars" shine with the same intensity. Nevertheless, this is an important album. It doesn't take a prophet to predict that just as ubiquitous as the stars are, these songs are going to find their places in tomorrow's worship of the church."[14] Jesus Freak Hideout's Josh Balogh says in his four star review: "Musically, the use of strings and synthesizer-flourishes really stand out, and created a paradox of intimacy and vastness in the majority of the songs. Lyrically, there was a deep focus on the name and worthiness of Jesus, which is right where the focus should be. All told, we have a more-than-worthy addition to the Bethel Music canon and a few new songs with which to praise our very Holy God."[15] Awarding the album four and a half stars from NewReleaseToday, Kevin Davis states, "Starlight is best described as a stellar worship offering with an empowering theme of the Lord's Kingship reigning in our hearts in song after song."[16] Laura Chambers, indicating in a four-and-two-fifths star review at Today's Christian Entertainment, says "Starlight's thoughtful lyrics will inspire gratitude long after the music ends. Bethel Music's stirring melodies draw listeners into the marvelous strength of God and invite them to consider Him as both powerful and personal, loyal and loving."[17]

Commercial performance

In the week ending April 13, 2017, 20,000 equivalent album units of Starlight were sold. The album rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart dated April 29, 2017.[19] The album also made its debut on the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 15, becoming the fourth album by Bethel Music to do so.[20] Concurrently, the song "Extravagant", which featured Steffany Gretzinger and Amanda Cook, debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart and No. 23 on the Christian Digital Songs chart with 2,000 downloads sold.[19]

Track listing
Standard edition[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Worship leader(s)[1]Length
1."Starlight"
  • Bobby Strand
  • Amanda Cook
  • Lindsey Strand
  • Brian Johnson
[21]		Amanda Cook5:37
2."There's No Other Name"
[22]		Francesca Battistelli5:40
3."Extravagant"
[23]
6:11
4."Breathe" (Spontaneous)Cook[24]Amanda Cook3:25
5."Take Courage"
[25]		Kristene DiMarco6:18
6."King of My Heart"
[26]
4:59
7."God I Look to You"
  • Jenn Johnson
  • Ian McIntosh
[27]		Francesca Battistelli6:25
8."The War Is Over"
[28]		Kalley Heiligenthal8:09
9."I See the Light" (Spontaneous)Kalley Heiligenthal[29]Kalley Heiligenthal3:37
10."Catch the Wind"
[30]		Melissa Helser6:49
11."Old for New"
[31]		Hannah McClure3:48
12."For the One"
  • J. Johnson
  • P. McClure
[32]		Jenn Johnson3:47
13."You Came (Lazarus)"
  • M. Helser
  • J.D. Helser
  • Cash
[33]		Amanda Cook4:14
14."Extravagant" (Acoustic)
  • Gretzinger
  • Cook
  • Feucht
  • Jackson
  • Steffany Gretzinger
  • Amanda Cook
7:54
Total length:76:53

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.[3]

  • Josh Baldwin — background vocals
  • Francesca Battistelli — vocals
  • Jesse Carmichael — additional production
  • Tyler Chester — keyboards
  • Amanda Cook — background vocals, vocals
  • Kristene DiMarco — vocals
  • Chris Estes — director
  • Steffany Frizzell-Gretzinger — background vocals, vocals
  • Kiley Goodpasture — creative director
  • Chris Greely — engineer, guitar, keyboards, mixing engineer, producer
  • Stephen James Hart — visual worship leader + design
  • Kalley Heiligenthal — background vocals, vocals
  • Jonathan David Helser — background vocals
  • Melissa Helser — vocals
  • Luke Hendrickson — keyboards
  • Ran Jackson — background vocals, engineer, guitar, keyboards, percussion, producer
  • Ricky Jackson — additional production
  • Ted Jansen — mastering
  • Brian Johnson — background vocals, executive producer
  • Jenn Johnson — executive producer, vocals
  • Taylor Johnson — guitar
  • Jeremy Larson — strings
  • Dan Mackenzie — additional production
  • Hannah McClure — vocals
  • Paul McClure — background vocals
  • Matt Ogden — additional production, background vocals, bass, keyboards
  • Michael Pope — guitar
  • Aaron Redfield — percussion
  • Jeremy Riddle — background vocals, vocals
  • Lucas Sankey — photography
  • Rick Seibold — additional production
  • Bobby Strand — guitar
  • Joel Taylor — executive producer
  • Jonah Thompson — monitor engineer, track engineer
  • Rebekah Van Tinteren — strings
  • Joe Volk — drums, percussion
  • David Whitworth — drums

Charts

Release history
Region Date Version Format Label Ref.
Worldwide April 7, 2017 Standard
Bethel Music [2][1]
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gollark: ```lisp(newvar '- [(+ arg1 (negate arg2))])(newvar '-- [(- arg1 1)])(newvar '++ [(+ arg1 1)])(newvar '!! [ (if arg1 [false] [true])])(newvar 'ztb [ (if (== arg1 0) [false] [if (== arg1 false) [false] [true]])])(newvar 'ifz [ (if (ztb arg1) arg2 arg3)])(newvar 'inz [ (if (!! (ztb arg1)) arg2 arg3)])(newvar '! [ (inz arg1 [1] [(* arg1 (! (-- arg1)) )])])(newvar 'for [ (if (arg2 arg1) [ (arg3 arg1) (for (++ arg1) arg2 arg3) ][true]) ])```
gollark: I have the stdlib somewhere.
gollark: Oh, so very h.
gollark: Did you know potatOS has heavlisp now? And a prime factorizer which is actually very performant? I don't know if anyone else who did not happen to read me being excited about them knows this.

References
  1. "Starlight (Live) by Bethel Music on Apple Music". Apple Music (iTunes). Zimbabwe. Apple Inc. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  2. "Bethel Music - Starlight - Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  3. "Starlight: Recorded Live on Tour - Bethel Music | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  4. "Christ's Church :: Bethel Worship Night at Christ's Church". Christ's Church. Jacksonville, Florida. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  5. "Bethel Music Worship Night - Explore Gwinnett Events". Explore Gwinnett County. Duluth, Georgia. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017. In October 2016, Bethel Music is coming to the East Coast U.S.A. for a special Worship Nights Tour featuring guests, Francesca Battistelli, Lisa Bevere and Havilah Cunnington.
  6. Longs, Herb (23 March 2017). "Bethel Music Announces 'Starlight' To Debut April 7". The Christian Beat. Retrieved 1 May 2017. Bethel Music’s first full-length album recorded live on tour, including performances from each of the cities on the “Worship Nights Tour,” features songs on the album led by Bethel Music's Jenn Johnson, Steffany Gretzinger, Amanda Cook, Kristene DiMarco, Kalley Heiligenthal, Melissa Helser and Hannah McClure along with GRAMMY award winning guest worship leader and songwriter Francesca Battistelli.
  7. "Bethel Music's Starlight Now Available to Pre-Order". MultiTracks.com. MultiTracks, LLC. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  8. "Bethel Music Announces Starlight, Their First Full-Length Album Recorded Live On Tour, To Debut April 7 – The Gospel Music Association". Gospel Music Association. Nashville, Tennessee. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  9. "Bethel Music feat. Kristene DiMarco - Take Courage (Radio Mix) - Daily Play MPE". Daily Play MPE. May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  10. Andre, Joshua (May 27, 2017). "Bethel Music – Starlight | 365 Days of Inspiring Media". 365 Days of Inspiring Media. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  11. Conner, Matt (15 April 2017). "Bethel Music – 'Starlight' album review – CCM Magazine". CCM Magazine. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  12. Dittmer, Madeleine (8 April 2017). "Bethel Music's 'Starlight' Provides An Opportunity To Worship In All Seasons". The Christian Beat. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  13. Schneider, Phil (8 April 2017). "'Starlight' by Bethel Music [Saturday Morning Review] - ChurchMag". ChurchMag. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  14. Yap, Timothy (23 March 2017). "Bethel Music "Starlight" Album Review : Exclusives : Hallels". Hallels. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  15. Balogh, Josh (3 April 2011). "Jesusfreakhideout.com: Bethel Music, "Starlight" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  16. Davis, Kevin (4 April 2017). "Starlight by Bethel Music Christian CD Book Reviews NewReleaseToday | NRTeam Member KevinDavis_NRT | NewReleaseToday". NewReleaseToday. NRT Media, Inc. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  17. Chambers, Laura (5 April 2017). "Bethel Music 'Starlight (Live)' - Today's Christian Entertainment". Today's Christian Entertainment. Avada. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  18. "email : Webview : Bethel Music's Starlight Garners Critic Support As Record Tops Billboard's Christian Albums Chart" (Press release). Nashville, Tennessee: Bethel Music. The Media Collective. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  19. Asker, Jim (19 April 2017). "Bethel Music Bows at No. 1 on Top Christian Albums Chart | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 29 April 2017. Bethel Music's Starlight vaults in at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart (dated April 29), earning 20,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 13 (19,000 in pure sales), according to Nielsen Music.
  20. "Sheeran's ÷ hits sixth week at #1 | ARIA Charts". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017. #15: Bethel Music ‘Starlight (Live)’ – American worship group Bethel music score their fourth top 50 entry in four years with Starlight (Live). The album comes a year on from Have It All (Live) (#8 Mar. ’16) and was recorded while the group was on tour in the US.
  21. "PraiseCharts | "Starlight" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  22. "PraiseCharts | "There's No Other Name" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  23. "PraiseCharts | "Extravagant" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
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  28. "PraiseCharts | "The War Is Over" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
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  30. "PraiseCharts | "Catch the Wind" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  31. "PraiseCharts | "Old for New" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  32. "PraiseCharts | "For the One" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  33. "PraiseCharts | "You Came (Lazarus)" Sheet Music (Bethel Music)". PraiseCharts. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
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  40. "Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart Top 20 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
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  42. "Bethel Music Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  43. "Bethel Music Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  44. "Bethel Music Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  45. "Christian Albums - Year-End 2017 | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  46. "Independent Albums - Year-End 2017 | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  47. "Top Christian Albums - Year-End | Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
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