Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, the members of the Dove Award winning group Selah have come full circle.
“Our first album was ‘Be Still, My Soul.’ It had a lot of piano and vocals,” said Allan Hall, one of the group’s founding members.
Selah will be in concert in Augusta Sunday.
That first album was an independent project which featured several hymns. It ultimately led to a record label signing, but after more than two decades with the Curb label, the band is back in the studio recording another independent project with multiple hymns and the simplicity of vocals and fewer instruments.
Hall said they asked fans to suggest songs for the project and were amazed at the response they received on social media.
“We had well over 1,000 comments,” he said.
They did live social media video feeds and sang snippets of songs as fans commented. Some of the songs they knew; others they weren’t familiar with and had to research. But Hall and fellow member Todd Smith said they have plenty of ideas for future albums.
“People gave us great suggestions,” Smith said.
However, the trio is not short on any ideas.
Another project the group has been working on is inspired by hymns of other nations. The One Name EP was released on streaming platforms on April 29. Find it at https://slinky.to/Selah-OneName.
The One Name project was inspired by Smith’s upbringing as the son of missionaries.
He had spent time in the Congo and heard people sing familiar hymns, but they seemed to sing songs bolder and with more enthusiasm when the songs came from their own countries and were in their own languages.
“There’s a different energy and passion,” he said.
So, they’ve taken hymns from other countries and translated them for the One Name EP.
Selah will perform as part of the Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church evensong series beginning at 7 p.m. May 1.
The group will be backed by the Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church sanctuary choir and string orchestra.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $35 for VIP seating; they are available at https://www.trinityonthehill.net/events/evensong-concert-selah/
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
