Small Sacrifice is the sixteenth studio album by Christian singer-songwriter Twila Paris. It was originally released independently on Paris' Mountain Spring Music imprint available at her website and at LifeWay Christian Stores in late 2007.[1][2][3] The album married the two parts of her career by including both inspirational pop/adult contemporary songs and original praise and worship compositions. Her first radio single from the album "Live to Praise" climbed to number 3 on Radio and Records' Christian Inspirational chart. Small Sacrifice was released for wider distribution by Koch Records on February 24, 2009.[4] Production was handled by John Hartley, who produced Paris' 2001 Dove Award winning children's music album Bedtime Prayers: Lullabies and Peaceful Worship.
| Small Sacrifice | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 26, 2007 | |||
| Genre | CCM, praise and worship, inspirational | |||
| Length | 44:06 | |||
| Label | Mountain Spring Music, Koch | |||
| Producer | John Hartley | |||
| Twila Paris chronology | ||||
| ||||
Track listing edit
All songs written by Twila Paris.
- "We Know Love" - 4:32
- "I Can Do All Things" - 4:28
- "You Lead Me" - 3:42
- "Small Sacrifice" - 3:31
- "Lord I Need You" - 4:06
- "Live to Praise" - 3:57
- "Not Forgotten" - 5:42
- "There Is a Plan" - 5:16
- "You Are a Great God" - 4:14
- "Alleluia" - 4:38
Personnel edit
- Twila Paris – vocals
- Jamie Kenney – keyboards
- Gary Burnette – guitars
- Chris Graffagnio – guitars
- Chris Donohue – bass
- Dennis Holt – drums, percussion
- Ken Lewis – drums, percussion
- Chris Eaton – backing vocals
- Jennifer Paige – backing vocals
- Chris Rodriguez – backing vocals
- Michelle Tumes – backing vocals
Production
- John Hartley – producer
- Colin Heldt – engineer
- David Schober – engineer, mixing
- John Mayfield – mastering
- Susannah Parrish – graphic design
- Michael Gomez – cover photography
- Norman Miller – management
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Cross Rhythms |   [5] |
Mark Lawrence of Cross Rhythms said of Small Sacrifice that the album "combines songs for congregational worship such as the piano-driven, hymn-like 'I Can Do All Things' and the upbeat pop of 'We Know Love' with more adult contemporary tracks such as the folksy/Celtic infused 'There Is A Plan' and the hauntingly beautiful ballad 'You Lead Me' which takes the listener on a journey through Psalm 23." Lawrence mentions that the title song and "Lord I Need You" are the quieter tracks "where her voice lifts and gives life to the simple melodies. At times the balladry slips squarely into the middle-of-the-road and the congregational worship songs are just a hotch-potch of tired clichés such as on 'Live To Praise.' But overall Twila sounds as fresh now as she did 25 years ago."
Radio singles edit
| Year | Single | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| CCM Inspo | ||
| 2008 | "Live to Praise" | 3[6] |
References edit
- ^ Twila Paris : Small Sacrifice. Koch Records. 2007.
- ^ "Twila Paris - Small Sacrifice". AllMusic.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell, Twila Paris have new albums ready". Joni Mitchell Library. September 7, 2007.
- ^ "Twila Paris signs with Koch Records for national distribution of Small Sacrifice". Jesus Freak Hideout. January 7, 2009.
- ^ Lawrence, Mark. "Review: Small Sacrifice - Twila Paris". Cross Rhythms.
- ^ "Radio & Records Christian Inspirational chart" (PDF). Radio & Records. April 18, 2008. p. 41.