Bart Millard

Hymned Again
INO Records

You can talk about how “Hymned Again,” the 11-song second solo project from MercyMe frontman Bart Millard, is remarkable and how varied, but complementary, the styles (Dixieland, ’70s funk, Texas blues-rock guitar, minimalist old-time gospel and one song featuring only a ukulele) Millard brings to the record are.

Though “Hymned Again” is indeed great for the modern, yet nostalgic, re-imagining of 10 classic hymns from a proven, and extremely likeable, contemporary Christian music frontliner, it’s greater still for the sheer enjoyableness it achieves completely apart from any press-release teasing. Even if you didn’t grow up with these songs, aren’t a MercyMe fan or have no idea who Millard is, or even Vince Gill, who shows up in a duet with Millard on the record’s one original song, then you will like “Hymned Again.”