 = Until the Whole World Hears = 
 
 Until the Whole World Hears is the fourth studio album by American Christian rock band Casting Crowns . Released on November 27 , 2009 , the album was produced by Mark . A Miller and features a sound that has been described as ' pure American rock ' , ' soft adult contemporary ' , and ' CCM ' . Lyrically , the album discusses Christian subjects such as God , Jesus , and salvation , with several songs being reinventions of classic hymns . Until the Whole World Hears sold over 167 @,@ 000 copies in its first week , Casting Crowns ' highest sales week to date , and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart . In the United States , the album ranked as the 37th best @-@ selling album of 2010 and the 137th best @-@ selling album of 2011 ; it ranked as the first and third best @-@ selling Christian album in those years , respectively . It has sold over 1 @.@ 1 million copies and been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) . 
 Until the Whole World Hears received a mixed @-@ to @-@ positive reception from critics and was nominated for Pop / Contemporary Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards . Three singles were released from the album : the title track , " If We 've Ever Needed You " , and " Glorious Day ( Living He Loved Me ) " . The title track and " Glorious Day ( Living He Loved Me ) " both peaked atop the Billboard Christian Songs chart , while the latter also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart ; " If We 've Ever Needed You " peaked at No. 5 on the Christian Songs chart . Two album cuts , " To Know You " and " Joyful , Joyful " , also appeared on the Christian Songs chart , peaking at numbers 27 and 3 , respectively . 
 
 = = Background and songwriting = = 
 
 Casting Crowns ' lead vocalist Mark Hall has stated that the band 's songs " have always come from our ministry in the church . They start as messages on Wednesday night , things we 're teaching our teenagers and their families " ; Until the Whole World Hears retains that same formula . Hall also stated that the musical sound of their songs is written so as not to conflict or detract from the lyrics , comparing the musical elements of his songs to a plate that the ' meat ' , the lyrics , are served on . A philosophy that " fuels " the album is the idea of putting " faith in action " ; Hall stated that he wanted believers to become more active in their faith , and to " get out of their pews and get involved in what God is doing " . " Always Enough " was written when a member of Hall 's church was killed in Afghanistan ; the band was unable to attend his funeral , as they were on the other side of the United States and couldn 't cancel their tour dates . Another song on the album , the title track , was inspired by the Biblical character of John the Baptist . Several songs on the album are reinventions of hymns , which Hall enjoyed experimenting with ; Hall retained the lyrics of the songs while reworking their melodies . 
 Until the Whole World Hears was produced by Mark A. Miller ; its executive producer was Terry Hemmings . It was recorded by Sam Hewitt , Michael Hewitt , and Dale Oliver at Zoo Studio in Franklin , Tennessee ; the string instrument tracks on the title track and " Always Enough " were recorded by Bobby Shin at Little Big Sound Studio in Nashville , Tennessee , while the string instrument tracks on " If We 've Ever Needed You " and " Joyful , Joyful " were recorded by John Painter and Leslie Richter at Ocean Way in Nashville . Crowd vocals on the title track and " Blessed Redeemer " were recorded by Carter Hassebroek , Darren Hughes and Billy Lord at Eagle 's Landing Baptist Church in McDonough , Georgia . Digital editing was handled by Michael Hewitt , while mixing was handled by Sam Hewitt . The album was mastered by Andrew Mendelson , Shelly Anderson , Natthaphol Abhigantaphand and Daniel Bacigalupi at Georgetown Masters in Nashville . 
 
 = = Composition = = 
 
 The overall sound of Until the Whole World Hears has been described as ' pure American rock ' , ' soft adult contemporary ' , and ' CCM ' . Robert Ham of Christianity Today regarded the album as comparable to the sound of rock bands Creed and Nickelback . One critic observed that most of the songs on the album " start off with chords plunked out on a piano or strummed slowly on a guitar , letting the song build slowly toward a massive wave of sound " . The title track has been described as having a " real rock vibe " infused by electric guitar riffs , while " Shadow of Your Wings " has been described as an " unashamed rock @-@ n @-@ roll jam " . " Joyful , Joyful " is driven by a " pulsing " and " driving " string section that " calls to mind Coldplay 's ' Viva la Vida ' " . " Mercy " and " Blessed Redeemer " feature female @-@ fronted vocals , the former sung by Megan Garrett and the latter sung by Melodee DeVevo ; on " At Your Feet " , Hector Cervantes and Juan DeVevo joining Mark Hall on vocals . 
 Every track on Until the Whole World Hears features references to Christian subjects such as God , Jesus , and salvation . " Joyful , Joyful " , " Blessed Redeemer " , and " Glorious Day ( Living He Loved Me ) " were adopted from classic hymns . " Holy One " and " Shadow of Your Wings " are taken almost word for word from the Book of Psalms . " If We 've Ever Needed You " and " Always Enough " are " darker inspirational anthems " , while other songs explore themes such as repentance and forgiveness . 
 
 = = Release and sales = = 
 
 Until the Whole World Hears had first @-@ week sales of 167 @,@ 000 copies , Casting Crowns ' best sales week to date ; the album 's high first @-@ week sales enabled a No. 4 debut on the Billboard 200 . It also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart and at No. 12 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart . The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) certified the album Platinum , signifying shipments of over 1 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 copies . By April 2011 Until the Whole World Hears had sold over 800 @,@ 000 copies , and as of March 2014 the album has sold 1 @.@ 1 million copies . Billboard magazine ranked Until the Whole World Hears as the best @-@ selling Christian album and the 37th best @-@ selling album overall of 2010 . It also ranked as the 3rd best @-@ selling Christian album and the 137th best @-@ selling album overall of 2011 . 
 Three singles were released from Until the Whole World Hears . The title track was released as the album 's lead single and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart and at No. 23 on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs chart . " If We 've Ever Needed You " , the second single released from the album , peaked at No. 5 on the Christian Songs chart . " Glorious Day ( Living He Loved Me ) " was released as the third single off the album and peaked atop the Christian Songs chart . It also peaked at No. 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and at No. 20 on the Heatseekers Songs chart . Two other songs off the album , " To Know You " and " Joyful , Joyful " , appeared on the Christian Songs chart ; they peaked at numbers 27 and 3 , respectively . 
 
 = = Reception = = 
 
 
 = = = Critical reception = = = 
 
 Until the Whole World Hears met with an overall mixed to positive response from critics . Several critics regarded the musical aspects of the album as mediocre or sub @-@ par , while others praised the album 's lyrical content . Jared Johnson of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars and described it as a " powerful worship experience " , but also stated that " some might wonder how a little more variety would sound from such experienced professionals ... the band 's core sound continues to land in the AC cross hairs " . Andrew Greer of CCM Magazine commented that the album " ups the musical ante a bit , with some borderline poetic verses and interesting musical riffs " , but also commented that " many of these tracks still suffer from the ' Crowns Cliché Syndrome , ' using lyrical Christian @-@ ese to produce trite rhymes that seem hard @-@ pressed to energize a ready @-@ to @-@ worship crowd " . Robert Ham of Christianity Today criticized the album for using what he deemed as a repetitive musical formula , but also praised the song " Joyful , Joyful " , which he compared to Coldplay 's song " Viva la Vida " , as well as Megan 's Garrett 's vocals on " Mercy " . He concluded that Until the Whole World Hears " feels like a step backward creatively " . At Cross Rhythms , Tony Cummings rated the album seven out of ten squares , saying " this album is a little disappointing considering some of the glories that preceeded [ sic ] it . " 
 Debra Akins of Gospel Music Channel.com said the album " follows successfully in the footsteps of its predecessors " and " should further solidify Casting Crowns as a staple artist for Christian music fans everywhere " . Roger Gelwicks of Jesus Freak Hideout gave Until the Whole World Hears two out of five stars , opining that " Casting Crowns has come down to a whole new low , such that it could be their most unremarkable record to date " and that " it is almost insulting to the listener to believe that one is supposed to find this project profound or listenable " . Paul Asay of Plugged In stated that " With appropriate apologies to the many talented and successful acts that straddle the secular and spiritual with their tunes , it 's great to have a band that speaks to the Christian heart with such power and eloquence — without apology " . 
 
 = = = Awards and accolades = = = 
 
 Until the Whole World Hears was nominated for the Pop / Contemporary Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards Two of its three singles also received award nominations ; its title track was nominated for Pop / Contemporary Record Song of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards , and " Glorious Day ( Living He Loved Me ) " has been nominated for Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year at the 43rd GMA Dove Awards . It was nominated for Top Christian Album at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards . 
 
 = = Track listing = = 
 
 ( Credits lifted from the album liner notes ) 
 
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 ( Credits lifted from the album liner notes ) 
 
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