And while the release of his sophomore project, On The Road To Beautiful, may signify a destination reached, for Charlie Hall the journey's just beginning.
Since 1991, Charlie has been traveling, songwriting, and sharing life with people in his home of Oklahoma City, and across the United States, and even across several oceans. He is counted among the many talented and often short-statured Passion collective of visionaries.
Known to some as "Poppa," and known to many in Delhi, and McLeod Ganj, India, as "the strange bearded man with the tall bodyguard...", Charlie has created several albums of diverse music throughout his pilgrimage as a singer-songwriter/worship leader. The latest collection of songs is called Flying Into Daybreak, and it captures many personal, and communal themes that Charlie, and the fellows in the band are trying to espouse and live out, among their local communities, the Church, and with one another. Renewing and encouraging local churches, engaging young and old with social justice action and widening hearts to see God at work in the whole world.
While the shape of much of Hall's music has been determined by the season his church is in at a particular time (“during Porch and Altar we were praying for revival nonstop,” he says), other influences are beginning to shine through as well. Travis, Radiohead and singer/songwriters like Richard Ashcroft are serving as sources of inspiration lately. “I ended up realizing that I like simple, mature music. I love the digital loops and insane noises, but when it comes down to it, what I relate to most is the simple stuff and that's the sound here,” Hall says of the new songs.
But whatever the style, Hall is clear on his main mission: “My job is to hold up a magnifying glass and show God to everyone here.” And in the process, he hopes to leave a little of his heart behind to remind people of the reason behind the music.
