Libertad World-wide Spanish Album Release
Last modified: 10 Sep 2002
Artist: Delirious?
Label: Furious Records
Date: 10 Sep 2002
The Very Best Of The Delirious? Back-Catalogue Recorded In Spanish. Their records sell all over the world - from Malaysia to Guatemala, Tasmania to China - but never before have Delirious? recorded in any language other than their native English. October 19th will change all that: for the first time ever the Spanish speaking world will have a Delirious? product tailored specifically for them as 'Libertad' goes public. Translated simply as 'freedom' the twelve track album is an essential guide to the God-soaked worship of the band's early Cutting Edge years.
Recorded in England and mixed by Martin Smith at his house, what has come out the other side is an album that has far more than simple novelty appeal. Having studied Spanish at school, Martin, it seems is still a little bit handy. 'Libertad' has all the vocal passion, excitement and vulnerability that punctuate the English language originals, from the delight of The Happy Song to the determination of I'm Not Ashamed.
Originally recorded between 1993 and 1995, the twelve tracks are taken from the band's first four mini-albums. Known then as the Cutting Edge Band, Martin, Jon, Tim, Stew and Stu G were a bunch of young men with day jobs out to explore the possibilities of worship music during their free time. What started as a handful of songs written for a single local church service soon grew into something far bigger. With their combination of uniquely personal lyrics and heart-grabbing music, the Cutting Edge albums became a soundtrack for a generation, following the dreams and intrigues of a life lived in pursuit of Jesus.
From the epic power of Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble? to the uplifting I Could Sing, these tracks are far more than early sketches for the full on stadium rock that grew into Delirious?: they stand on their own as great songs. The joy of I've Found Jesus or The Happy Song manage to go way beyond and airhead smile while the likes of Lord you Have My Heart and What A Friend I've Found have are true devotional candles: quiet, honest and fully vulnerable.
For those whose trivia knowledge is a little rusty, Spanish is spoken by 332,610,000 people worldwide. It is the official language of 21 countries and a widely spoken non-official language in a further 22. 20 million Americans are Spanish speakers and overall it is spoken by 5.7% of the world's population (French is spoken by 1.8% and English by 8.9%).
The release of 'Libertad' is a fine addition to what has already been a truly blessed year for the band. Having played to over 1 million people, released their fourth studio album world-wide and launched their own label, Furious Records in America, Delirious? are hoping for even more of this God-inspired 'freedom' to get their message out as far as it will go.
"I was terrible at languages at school and hastily dropped French and German for a stab at Spanish as I was advised that this was far easier. A year later I decided to stick with English as my main language; little did I know that my shaky academic past would return to haunt me. I remember the day of terror when I was asked if we wanted to record some of the old Cutting Edge songs in Spanish and instantly I said yes, not knowing what was ahead. A week was spent with a vocal coach from Mexico painstakingly singing line by line in an attempt to sound like Enrique Iglesias and amazingly 'Libertad' was born. I can't say how excited I am about this project, this really is something that we as a band can give back to the Spanish speaking people, many of whom come to our concerts around the world and we pray it can be an encouragement to building the church worldwide."
Gracias Martin Smith
Track listing:
01: Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble
02: I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
03: I've Found Jesus
04: Thank You For Saving Me
05: The Happy Song
06: King Of Love
07: This Is The Message Of The Cross
08: Shout To The North
09: Lord You Have My Heart
10: Find Me In The River
11: Not Ashamed
12: Obsession