Mark Roberts Come Alive

Mark Roberts, Come Alive

Long before he was a singer/songwriter/guitarist, who after a winding series of circumstances started making music for the Lord, Mark Roberts had to overcome a string of childhood setbacks. A bone disorder in his right leg caused him to wear a brace, alongside a built-up shoe on the left for three painful years, each accompanied by a laundry list of activities the doctor said he couldn’t complete.

It was understandably hard to fit in and bullying became a regular occurrence, so music became a companion and comfort, especially classic Christian artists such as The Imperials during the Russ Taff era, Amy Grant and Andraé Crouch.

As Mark grew up, he also thankfully grew out of those ailments, being able to run, jump, climb and ride the bike he was told he never would, while praying he could one day reach the world, just as those iconic influences have done for decades, with a smooth yet sturdy voice of his own that was steadily cultivated with the support of a musical family. However, it would be quite some time before he’d actually wind up heading in that direction due to a series of false starts and mistakes.

“After many attempts and falls, I went astray, impatient, and started singing for me,” Roberts recalls. “Miles and miles, room after room, stage after stage, tears and years, and doing what everyone wanted me to do. I enjoyed awards and applause, but was cold and alone. Empty. It was all a blur. I was still doing what everyone told me I could not do, but there was still something missing.”

In spite of it all, the pieces finally fell into place in a manner so beyond his wildest dreams, only God could have orchestrated such a master plan. “I was recording in yet another attempt to make something happen when I met a guy who was tracking with us that day. He asked me if I had any other recordings with me that I had done and I had a Christmas/Thanksgiving song. Upon listening to it, he said to me, ‘that’s it! That’s what you’re supposed to be doing.’ He added that if I ever decided to go in that direction, he would help me all he could and produce me.”

Unbeknownst to Mark, this somewhat casual but nonetheless intuitive collaborator was none other than Grammy and Dove Award-winner Tom Hemby, who just so happened to be not only be the guitar player for The Imperials during the Russ Taff era, but married to Deanna Hemby, Amy Grant’s assistant!

“It would be years before I found that out,” he explains. “I would have to give up on me and give in to God before He would give me the answer to my prayer. Tom is my producer and my photo shoot was done at Amy Grant’s farm, which is my miracle circle. Only God could do that, so now I will do what God tells me I can do through Him.”

And that’s exactly what Mark Roberts did throughout his Creative Soul Records collection “Come Alive,” albeit many years after he originally intended, but nonetheless sounding exactly where he needs be at this very moment throughout ten inspirational tunes, all of which evoke the classic days of pristinely-produced CCM, yet are firmly planted in radio-ready sounds of today.

“After giving up my old life of music, attitude, and nature, I gave everything I am to God, looking for a life of peace,” shares Mark. “So I came alive in Him or Him in me. Also, when I walked away from music, I really walked away. I canceled everything on the books and disappeared. A lot of people did not know where I was or what I was doing. Some even thought maybe I might be dead or possibly alive still, which brings us to, creatively enough, the name ‘Come Alive.’ The title track best describes what my process was and the inspiration for this album, to tell people what God had done for me in my life…As I got together with Tom, he embraced this project with me, basically leading me through it, and suggested this song he had written years ago, because he as well thought it best described what I have been through in my life, which is the process of a Christ-like life. After hearing this song, I realized that I had to wrap everything around it.”

It’s just one of the many faith-fueling anthems that point to the increased authenticity of this already seasoned artist, who will be the first to admit feeling like he was swimming against the current pursuing such a drastic lane change later in life, but was nonetheless reminded God’s timing was truly perfect upon receiving a demo to “It’s Not Too Late (To Start Over Again).” There’s also “Teach Me,” which could also be considered Roberts’ precise prayer for restoration that he continues to play during daily devotionals, plus uplifting covers of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and Bread’s “Everything I Own.” Yet it’s the opening cut, “Running Home,” that could very well be the defining soundtrack to Mark’s lifelong testimony, in addition to being a personal favorite.

“I spent my life running after the wind on the road, trying to find my door and an opening somewhere that all makes sense,” he recalls. “I guess every musician can say that. ‘Where do I get in? Where do I make a mark?’ But at the time, I was aimless. I just wanted to be a part of music, and now I have a true, specific reason to be there, and that’s to shine a light…All of these songs are gifts that describe my path, not just mine, but the process of a Christian life and a relationship with Jesus.”

Even so, “Come Alive” isn’t only for fellow believers, but a true ministry tool for everyone given its variety of earthy flavors and relatable lyrics that can be applied to anyone needing to be uplifted from the darkest of places, much like the subsequent generations of crossover artists, including Lauren Daigle or MercyMe, are consistently known to deliver.

“My hope is that the listeners will receive what I prayed for long ago, that I could share music that would heal people, help people and let them know they are not alone,” adds Roberts. “We all have a path, but most of us are not on the path we are meant to be on. God’s word is full of ways to find out what our individual path is and how to find the gifting He has given each one of us. Most of us don’t even investigate what that gifting is. We all tend to go in the opposite direction. I truly want to help people find the masterpiece that He says we are to Him. He has truly given us everything we need. We just need to find it and I want to help people as much as I can find what God has given them.”

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Mark Roberts Come Alive

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