“This record is a love letter to my children, to my mother, to everyone who ever taught me a hymn, to the Presbyterian Church and my Scotch-English roots, to all those who love hymns and (perhaps particularly) to those who have dismissed them as antiquated and irrelevant in modern worship. I have such a deep desire to keep the hymns alive in the church.”—Ashley Cleveland on Men and Angels Say, her sixth album.

Two-time Grammy winner Ashley Cleveland has been acclaimed by critics, fans, and her colleagues across a myriad of music genres, including luminaries such as Jars of Clay, John Hiatt, Michael McDonald, Faith Hill, Delbert McClinton, Etta James, Martina McBride, Russ Taff and Rich Mullins. Her latest release, Men and Angels Say, is a collection of hymns, yet it could be her most autobiographical album to date. The self-proclaimed “confessional singer/songwriter” first learned hymns as a child during church services. However, she found solace and assurance in hymns later in life during some very dark times.

“This is a deeply personal album for me,” Ashley says. “When I was entrenched in alcoholism and drug addiction, the hymns that I grew up singing would come to me, unbidden and forgotten for years, and I would come undone remembering the messages of hope and mercy in each song. They were tiny lifelines from Jesus and I will say without hesitation that of all the music that I love (including my own), hymns are the music I love best. Singing them reminds me that I have been brought back from the dead.”

Ashley’s tour schedule finds her performing in churches across the country. She discovers many in the church today who have either never heard hymns such as “Come Ye Sinners” or “Come Thou Fount” or have dismissed them as dusty relics of an outdated faith. On the contrary, Ashley sees hymns as vital links to both the history and future of the church. The desire to keep these statements of faith alive for current and future generations was a major reason Ashley recorded Men and Angels Say.

“There is nothing prim about the way Ashley delivers a hymn…or any song, for that matter. She sounds the way most of us feel: full of grit, angst and passion. I love hearing these timeless lyrics sung by her,” says Amy Grant. “Her voice captures the longing in us all.”

Ashley’s passion for the hymns was passed down from her mother, who enjoyed singing the old songs with her during childhood. “A big part of my affinity for the hymns is their connection to the heritage of the church,” Ashley says. “It’s this wonderful thing I share not only with other peers, but with generations of men and women I will never know. We all share this love for hymns—it’s a unifying thing in the body of Christ. I think those of us who love them feel a strong sense of wanting to participate in keeping them alive.

Ashley’s distinctive vocal style and penchant for crossing musical genres have earned her an audience that reaches far beyond the church. She frequently performs hymns during concerts in clubs and on college campuses, and hopes they may fall on the ears of those who have left the church as she once did.

“I think these songs can touch a soft place in people’s hearts,” Ashley says, “especially when a person who has grown up in the church hears these hymns. It opens up this well and brings back a memory and God uses it in much the same way He drew me back to Himself.”

Ashley chose the twelve hymns on Men and Angels Say after a decade of writing and looking for arrangements that would best fit her distinct musical vision. The album bears Ashley’s trademark mix of rock on the opening “Come Ye Sinners,” blues on “Precious Lord Take My Hand,” and quiet contemplation on “I Need Thee Every Hour,” which features a duet vocal and organ performance from superstar recording artist Steve Winwood. Well-known for hits like “Higher Love” and “Roll With It,” Winwood is a fellow lover of hymns and readily accepted Ashley’s invitation to appear on Men And Angels Say after the two led worship together at the Nashville church they both attend.

“Ashley has gathered these gems from the musty hymnals that rest on old wooden pews in the neighborhood churches of our childhood; songs that have been sung for generations by countless congregations coming together to celebrate the miracle of faith. Here she infuses them with new life and meaning through the muscle and blood of her powerful and passionate voice,” comments Emmylou Harris.

Ashley produced Men and Angels Say with husband Kenny Greenberg (2004 CMA nominee, musician of the year), one of the music industry’s most in-demand guitarists and producers. The two have worked together on Ashley’s previous releases, including the Grammy-winning albums Lesson of Love (1995) and You Are There (1999). Despite all of the recognition for her work, including several Dove Awards and a Nashville Music Award, over the course of her career Ashley has come to realize that she must make music for the love of it.

When asked why she sings, Ashley answers, “Primarily because I cannot not do it. Music was survival to me during a devastating childhood, my teens and early adulthood. It was the first inkling I had that I was actually gifted with something, and it was my way of articulating my life – inside and out. To some extent it still is, although I now have a broader language and other ways to express myself. Singing, writing and playing are the purist communion that I have with the Lord. It’s like the runner in Chariots of Fire—when I use these gifts, I feel His pleasure.”