Steven Curtis Chapman

The Glorious Unfolding
Provident Label Group LLC

Steven Curtis Chapman’s first original record since his 2009 release “Beauty Will Rise,” “The Glorious Unfolding” follows almost a year after his wonderful 2012 Christmas release, “Joy.” During that dry spell, we’ve gotten by on recompilations, such as “#1’s” (Volumes 1 and 2) and “Greatest Hits.” We got a few new Chapman tunes with his 2012 release “Re:Creation,” but even there most were re-recordings of many of his greatest hits. His 2012 Christmas release “Joy,” while largely traditional, seemed to signal Chapman’s return from a very, very dark period. 

The title song “The Glorious Unfolding” immediately sets the project’s tone. Chapman sings, “Take a rest from the fight, don’t try to figure it out. It feels like the end is closing in on you, but it’s just not true. There’s so much of the story that’s still yet to unfold. And this is going to be a glorious unfolding.” The song then launches into a joyous, hand-clapping, downright danceable killer of a song, and you know — the Chapman we’ve loved for so long, and missed so much — is back. 

But “The Glorious Unfolding” doesn’t feel like classic Chapman. In spite of its infectious rhythms and joyful arrangements, it’s more introspective, older and there’s a maturity that wasn’t there before. Fans (and record sales) will be the ultimate gauge of how we perceive the “new” Chapman, but I, for one, see “The Glorious Unfolding” as some of Chapman’s best music ever.