Until the Whole World Hears

Until the Whole World Hears is the fourth studio album by American Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Released on November 17, 2009, the album was produced by Mark A. Miller and features a sound that has been described as 'pure American rock', 'soft adult contemporary', and 'CCM'. Lyrically, the album discusses Christian subjects such as God, Jesus, and salvation, with several songs being reinventions of classic hymns. Until the Whole World Hears sold over 167,000 copies in its first week, Casting Crowns' highest sales week to date, and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. In the United States, the album ranked as the 37th best-selling album of 2010 and the 137th best-selling album of 2011; it ranked as the first and third best-selling Christian album in those years, respectively. It has sold over 1.1 million copies and been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Until the Whole World Hears received a mixed-to-positive reception from critics and was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards. Three singles were released from the album: the title track, "If We've Ever Needed You", and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)". The title track and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" both peaked atop the Billboard Christian Songs chart, while the latter also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart; "If We've Ever Needed You" peaked at No. 5 on the Christian Songs chart. Two album cuts, "To Know You" and "Joyful, Joyful", also appeared on the Christian Songs chart, peaking at numbers 27 and 3, respectively. Background and songwriting Casting Crowns' lead vocalist Mark Hall has stated that the band's songs "have always come from our ministry in the church. They start as messages on Wednesday night, things we're teaching our teenagers and their families"; Until the Whole World Hears retains that same formula. Hall also stated that the musical sound of their songs is written so as not to conflict or detract from the lyrics, comparing the musical elements of his songs to a plate that the 'meat', the lyrics, are served on. A philosophy that "fuels" the album is the idea of putting "faith in action"; Hall stated that he wanted believers to become more active in their faith, and to "get out of their pews and get involved in what God is doing".