A lot of artists are classified as "singer-songwriters," with equal weight given to the labels "singer" and "songwriter." With Scott Krippayne, however, the term "songwriter" deserves to be in bold letters.

This is an artist who writes so many amazing songs, there isn't any conceivable way that he would be able to record them all himself. As a result, artists such as Avalon, Point of Grace, Jaci Velasquez, FFH, True Vibe, John Tesh, and Sandi Patty have been able to partake of his talents, among others.

It is the emphasis on "songwriter" that led to the title of Scott's third project with Spring Hill Music Group (and his fifth in his career). When all was said and done, nothing else encapsulated this eclectic collection of piano-based pop/rock, which swings from the energetic opener "Long Before the Sun," to the soaring, heartfelt "You Are Still God," to the funky rhythms of "Life." It Goes Like This... shows the depth and breadth of Scott's vast songwriting talent.

"It goes like this... " is a phrase tossed around frequently in meetings between songwriters. Many will preface the performance of their latest creation with those four little words. For Scott Krippayne, those four words are part of his every-day vocabulary.

"Billy Joel and Elton John were big influences on Scott--probably Billy more than Elton, for him," explains Scott. "If you're a piano player, you tend to choose one or the other as you are growing up.

But he love both of them as musicians and love those old Billy Joel/Elton John records that are really piano-based and allow the singer-songwriter/piano-player to come out. So we wanted to take a shot at doing that on this record. It's not a "retro" record-- there are elements of those late '70's records here, but it feels very current."

"We also wanted to capture some of what goes on when I play live," Scott continues. "Both Matt and Kent would say 'Deliver this with the passion you would, when you are playing it one time, live' as opposed to the energy you don't have when it's the 20th take of a vocal."

In preparing for this project, Scott had several conversations regarding the musical direction with Phil Johnson, A&R Director for Spring Hill Music, and Matt Huesmann and Kent Hooper, the producers for It Goes Like This... and Scott's last two albums. Out of those conversations came a direction... of sorts.

From a lyrical stance, the theme of gratefulness ran through much of Scott's early compositions for the album, influenced by an emotional family situation. Shortly after the release of his last project, Scott and his wife Katy discovered that their infant son Tyler had difficulty keeping food in his stomach.

"That was a season of time where we didn't know what was wrong with him," remembers Scott. "The doctors were running a lot of tests but they were inconclusive, and they were telling us they didn't know what was wrong."

Although doctors were eventually able to diagnose Tyler and correct his condition with surgery, the fear, anxiety and helplessness Scott felt in this situation found an outlet in his songwriting. All of those emotions are best encapsulated in "You Are Still God," in which Scott pours out all of his doubts and fears. "I've prayed but still don't have answers/At least none I'm able to see/I've tried to rest in not knowing/But not knowing is a hard place to be."

Although the song starts in a place of despair, it resolves in trust--in the knowledge that God is sovereign in all situations and Scott's gratitude for that.

The theme carries into other cuts on It Goes Like This... ; "I Commend My Soul," "The Least I Can Do," "Live To Worship"--all carry some element of gratitude or recognition of all that God has done for us and the desire to give something back.

"Live To Worship" was recorded by Joy Williams for the Point of Grace Girls of Grace project released in the summer of 2002. Scott was performing the song at his live dates prior to going into the studio for It Goes Like This... and although he hadn't intended to record it, the audience response changed his mind.

"People started asking me about that song after performances and I realized that I needed to record it," explains Scott. "It's a response to what God's done for us. Worship doesn't just have to be what we sing on a Sunday morning, or singing songs at a Wednesday night service. The lives that we lead can be acts of worship, in a sense. If I could keep thinking about that as I go about my day, then that perspective influences the choices that I make, the way that I talk to people, my attitude as I'm driving. I have a choice to choose life today, to be an ambassador of Christ, to make choices that He would smile upon."

The thumping piano opener to "Life" signals a musical left turn as the energy and joy of Scott's lyrics lead the listener into a full-on "play it in the car with the windows open and the wind blowing through your hair" tune enhanced with some aggressive strings.

Another turn is taken into "He Was Here," which has a theatrical element to it, musically, and explores the fact that Christ experienced the human condition and understands everything that we go through.

It Goes Like This... finishes with "I Commend My Soul." "It couldn't go anywhere else on the album," Scott jokes," since I die at the end of it!" In all seriousness, this modern hymn takes a believer from the moment of first turning his life over to God through the efforts to live a Christian life and then, finally, to the last moments before death. The song's title encapsulates the desire of Scott Krippayne--that his life is, and continues to be, God's.

For Scott Krippayne, a respected, accomplished singer/songwriter, the days of playing it safe are over. After nine years in pursuit of his dream, with five albums and plenty of radio and critical success to mark the path, Scott threw away the rulebook.

He and his wife, Katy, moved back home to Seattle, to reestablish their roots before their kids started school. There, Scott jumped off the "people pleaser" bus. He started running with scissors, talking to strangers, base-jumping from tall buildings and touching breakable things in department stores.*

And perhaps the biggest risk of all, Scott Krippayne began playing with fire. The result - like an intricate crystal forged repeatedly in a fierce furnace - his 6th album Gentle Revolution shocks and surprises in its intensity, clarity, and depth.

"When I began thinking about this album," Scott says, I thought "Wow, this is the fourth of a four record deal, so if this is my last record in this whole CCM thing, I want to go out and give it all I have." Of course, I've felt that way about every record I've done, but I remember saying on the front side of this one, "I really want to take some risks on this one, to build a new box."

He just wanted to be true to his creative instincts, to his own heart, and own mind.

With Gentle Revolution, Scott and co-producer Kent Hooper explored larger musical territory, inspired by the innovation of bands like Switchfoot, Maroon 5, and pop icons like Sting and Billy Joel.

You can still hear the piano-driven pop sound Scott Krippayne has become known for, but the polished pop edge has been burned away, leaving behind a barrage of aggressive guitars fused with an authentic "live" rock feel. "We operated with a - no rules, just right - philosophy," Scott says of the musical approach. "We wanted it to be as true musically as it is lyrically, so we agreed to let our mistakes guide us."

Also guiding Scott was the desire to write new songs that reflect his own spiritual journey of the last few years, to be transparent, even at the risk of being not-so-radio friendly.

"The idea behind Gentle Revolution is change," Scott says. "Any revolution means change, and we associate that idea with overthrow, and yet Jesus brought a gentle revolution into the lives of everyone he met. He touched them. He listened to their stories and gave them the truth. With some of the songs on this album, there's a risk of misunderstanding. People can read a lot into it, if they want. But it's the most honest I've ever been. I'm convicted by these songs every time I sing them?"

From the pounding opener of the title track, which reveals the heart of the album, listeners will hear an urgent relevance in each of the 10 songs - each one about living true to Jesus- words in an ever-changing world.

A riveting picture of the real world, "I Am Jesus," the most aggressive song on Gentle Revolution, speaks to Jesus" words in Matthew 25:45. "Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." An inescapable message for our times.

"Something Different," the most musically distinctive song on the album, dares to explore the truth that living like Jesus is not the safest way to live: I can't ignore injustice and the tragic human cost / Love should make me radical / worldly incompatible".

"In the Name of God," a powerful ballad co-written with Regie Hamm (whose work has been recorded by Kenny Loggins, Bob Carlisle, and many others), is the timeliest song on the album. A song ripe for misinterpretation.

"We didn't set out to make a political statement," Scott says. "It's a difficult song, but the message is very important. And I didn't want to not say it just because I didn't want to take any flak for it. I'm not a pacifist, and I've got friends in Iraq, and yet when I search scriptures and when I look at the life of Jesus, I just don't see that he was about war. We live in a different world, one that will unfortunately involve war, and I will always support those we send". This song simply admits that "we mess it up more than we get it right, and yet there's hope here because God is merciful."

"Renee," a pensive poem-of-a-song that began in a Starbucks in Los Angeles after a brief encounter with celebrity Renee Zellweger, is Scott's attempt to explore the reality behind the myth of fame. "I just started thinking about what life must really be like for her," Scott muses. "She's got to have struggles, and you know at some point she's got to just want to go home and be herself?" If you listen carefully, you'll hear the acoustic piano squeak along, echoing the humanity behind such a glamorous life.

Other songs like Scott's confessional litany in "Lyin," the energetic wake-up call of "Alive Again" and the "blazing beauty" of "Shadow On The Sun," punctuate Gentle Revolution's more convicting moments with jolts of encouragement and strength for this journey we call life. Which in itself, Scott says, should center on Jesus - revolutionary way of life.

"If I've learned anything over the past year or two, it's that I've got a long way to go to really make a difference, to be a true follower of Jesus. That's where I've been living lately, trying to sort out what's really important in life and how to represent Christ in the world. I can't pretend to know how or if these songs will impact people, but my hope is that God's Spirit will reveal what he will to those who will hear."

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