Phil Thompson
How do I describe this album in a sentence or 2?
From standing on His promises when we’re full of fear, to surrendering and welcoming newness and freshness. From sinking in anxiety, to overcoming & boldly proclaiming who we are. These are songs I wrote during the pandemic which was a stressful time for us all. It felt like everything burned to the ground, but, now the ground is more fertile than it’s ever been.
FRAGRANCE - Zenzo Matoga and I were having a conversation about all of the unrest in the country (and the world on a larger scale). Politically, civilly, and even spiritually. We talked about how it felt like everything was burning to the ground. I remember reading something about the ashes that fire brings being an amazing fertilizer in the farming community. And I remember while writing this song, thinking about how symbolic that was. I put this song first on the album, because I truly believe that it sets the tone for the entire project. Faith and Hope are rising out of the ashes.
ONLY RISEN KING - There’s a boldness that comes with knowing who you are. There’s a boldness that comes from knowing your identity in HIM. My favorite type of boldness is when you’re standing on His word. That type of boldness and confidence is unbreakable when you understand the nature of the father… and how lying is not in His makeup… True rest comes from trusting God. This song is braggadocios in a hip-hop way. But we obviously aren’t boasting about ourselves, we’re boasting about our Father. The point of this song is to be in your face. Sorry but not sorry.
CONSTANT MERCIES - This song is a response to the anxiety that I was dealing with on multiple mornings when the pandemic first hit. For whatever reason, I’d wake up in the morning feeling it. And dealing with a heaviness in my chest, and a heaviness on a spiritual level as well. I remember reading Psalms 18 which starts off with “I love you Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. My shield, and the horn of my salvation.” Then I remembered 2 scriptures I learned as a child. One that says, “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The other being “put on a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” And as I began to worship Him, I became growingly grateful for his mercies being new every morning. And Constant Mercies was birthed in that worship moment.
REDEEMING THE YEARS - This song is for anyone in the midst of a dark season in life. The season where you are in the fog, and all you can do is to continuously put one foot in front of the other and pray that the Lord continues to light a path for you. I’ve been there. And it’s good to hear a song with the message “THE FATHER HASN’T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU” The chorus says “Come receive the harvest, for all you’ve sown in tears. He’s rewriting your story now…He’s redeeming the years” This is written in the same vein as “Fragrance.” This is the encouraging message that we all need to hear in the seasons where it seems like nothing but losses.
It’s good to know that there will be beauty for ashes… that every tear is a seed that will eventually be bloom a harvest.
LION OF JUDAH - I toiled with this song for a while. (which sometimes is a part of the song-writing process). I toiled with melody choices, lyric choices, and even chord progression. The one part that came very clearly and easily to me was the chorus. Which simply says “Jehovah, Lion of Judah, Heavenly Father, here is my praise. Jehovah, Lion of Judah, Beautiful Savior, forever you reign.” It was simply written as a song of adoration in a grateful season. I remember thinking “how am I going to provide for my family when we aren't able to tour anymore?” But God kept making a way and reminding me that He’s in control - that I need not worry. So, God dropped this chorus in my spirit, and I toiled over the verse and bridge for about a month, until I finally had a complete composition that I was happy with.
JESUS - (continued from Lion of Judah) …And interestingly enough, after I finished writing Lion of Judah, I just sat at my piano and sang it straight through from top to bottom three times… and with tears in my eyes I just worshipped…. and the worship got deeper and deeper. Jesus came within in a span of 15 minutes. It was birthed out of the residue of worship that Lion of Judah created… It felt like a gift had been given to me, because it came so effortlessly. That’s why it's written in the same key as Lion of Judah, and almost the exact same tempo. In my mind, these songs are sisters. There is something very solemn and peaceful about this song. It felt like a hymn to me, so I decided to add a third verse and not add a bridge to it.
The message of the song is too simple to even try to unpack. There is power in the name of Jesus. This name is above every other name. Undefeated and uncontested.
EVERYTHING - This is simply a song of adoration… nothing too deep here. There were moments in the bible that The Lord gave someone victory. And what followed was marching, dancing, and proclaiming His greatness. This to me is a post battle celebration song.
CRASHING - There have been preached words that I’ve heard over the past year, that has brought me into a deeper understanding of God’s grace for us. A deeper understanding about Jesus shedding blood at Calvary… and ultimately a deeper understanding of the Father’s love for us. This song is written on the heels of all of these revelations.
“Relentless love like waterfalls; and it’s crashing down on me” Even though I don’t deserve it. It’s hard to express the gratitude that I feel. So hard to put it into a few rhyming words. But that's the attempt here.
VICTORY - see “everything” notes. This song was written in that exact same vein.
ALIVE IN YOU - This is one of my favorite songs on the album. I remember waking up one morning full of anxiety about what was happening in the world. I remember talking to the Lord about it…full of doubt about the future. God doesn't clearly speak to me often, but on this day, He clearly said to me “I’m alive in you.” That night I had a dream of myself singing the chorus, and I woke up singing it. Which was so cool because I never remember my dreams! So I quickly ran down to my piano and just sang it over and over again.
A few days later my niece, who is a fabulous songwriter herself, “Facetimed” me. We talked about a few other things, but then I sat down at the piano and showed her the chorus that the Lord dropped in my spirit. She loved it and immediately came up a beautiful melody for the verse. and we just bounced back and forth over lyrics, and bridge melody and lyrics. There is something so incredibly sweet to me about this song, so I called my good friend Nia Allen to be a part of it. She fit like a glove on this song because she possesses the most angelic voice I’ve ever heard.
It was in 2017 when Phil Thompson stepped forward from behind the songwriting pen and committed to one goal: worship. Since then, the gospel and worship artist has crossed the globe worshiping throughout Ghana, Nigeria, the U.K., the Netherlands, Canada, the Caribbean Islands, and the U.S. With the songs found on Lion Of Judah, he is still sharing the same heart of passionate devotion with the world.