Anywhere For You
By Cooper Ray
For the past 20+ years, Cooper Ray has been committed to bringing people to Christ through his professional ministry as a speaker, worship leader and retreat facilitator. After much urging from fans, this devout minister made his foray into the contemporary Catholic music world in 2009 with his debut album, Wake the Dawn, a praise and worship album.
No longer a newcomer to the scene, the soft-spoken southerner is at it again with Anywhere For You, proving, once more, that he is as gifted a singer-songwriter as a speaker and retreat leader. He wasn't alone this time, however, tapping into the talents of such accomplished songwriters as Steve Angrisano, Josh Blakesley, Tom Booth, Sarah Hart, Curtis Stephan and Ben Walther. Production was led by Dean Baskerville and Jeramy Burchett, a successful team in their own right, having worked with big names like Everclear and Sheryl Crow.
Cooper's seven-song album starts out with the rocking anthem "We Come Alive," a song about the new life we can find in Christ. He then moves effortlessly from ballad to easy-going acoustic to praise and worship, showing a maturity and depth of lyric and musicianship.
"You Call Me" is a heartfelt echo of the prophet Jeremiah's encounter with the Lord, a fresh approach to an age-old promise. A simple song, ideal for Communion, "We Gather as One" touches on the need for unity in the Church, with a straightforward prayer: "may we be one with you." Cooper closes out the album with the delightful country twang of "This Place in My Heart," capturing the essence of the struggle many Christians face at some point in their lives—the realization of their dependence on God.
With Anywhere For You, Cooper Ray has achieved once more his overall goal as a singer-songwriter: providing music for worshipers of any age to praise God and draw closer to Jesus.
Track listing
We Come Alive | Jesus Is Here | You Call Me | Freedom in Your Cross | We Gather as One | Anywhere for You | This Place in My Heart