Shawn McDonald's March release is his fourth album and the first recording in three years, following "an intensely broken season of my life."

Closer (Sparrow Records/EMI CMG Distribution) is "a redemption record," he told Christian Retailing. "It is about the ups and downs of faith. ... It is really aimed at getting closer to God and learning to lean on Him in hard times rather then run."

The album is also "a bit more on the pop side of things, but it was where my heart was at when I wrote it," he said. "I try to remain fresh and innovative and at the same time retain a deep sense of my faith. I really try hard to not make the same record over, and it is a hard line to walk because you gain fans on one sound you gave them, and the goal is to not lose them on the next one.

"I have found that if I don't continue growing as an artist or even in my faith, my heart sort of dies, and I start to do it for the wrong reasons."

McDonald added: "I still don't understand why He uses me, but the stories I receive from fans blow my mind. The fact that God is moving and healing broken people and lives through music and words reminds me that what I do is important."

Read more in the March issue of Christian Retailing.

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