British worship veteran GRAHAM KENDRICK talked to Clem Jackson about his new Christmas album and his plans for the future

Graham Kendrick

Graham Kendrick is probably still the best known worship leading name in the UK Church, with so many of his worship songs now part of the worship repertoire of most churches from cathedrals to chapels. A new album from Graham Kendrick normally happens once every two or three years but in 2007 there have been two releases. Earlier this year there was 'Out Of The Ordinary' and now, just released, his latest album, 'Dreaming Of A Holy Night', a third collection of Christmas songs. So I asked Graham to tell me about his new album and what his plans were for the future.

Clem: This is your third Christmas compilation following 'The Gift' and 'Rumours of Angels'. How does this differ from the others?

Graham: It's almost like an evolution because the first one, 'The Gift', was in the days of March For Jesus and intended really for shopping centre type events - and most people used it that way. 'Rumours Of Angels' was much more of a concert event and this album is in a similar vein, with songs that one hopes people will listen to in the context of Christmas, but also might want to 'lift' and use in Christmas productions, carol services and so on. But it's much more of a Graham Kendrick 'singer-songwriter' kind of album.

Clem: That's interesting, because your previous album, 'Out Of The Ordinary', signalled a return more to your roots as a singer/songwriter, and there were echoes in there of some of your earliest albums. Does this mean we are going to see less of Graham Kendrick leading worship in the way we have come to know in recent years?

Graham: I wouldn't say that, except perhaps in terms of albums; I'm as busy as ever doing events and leading worship. But it is interesting that the song people comment on the most from 'Out Of The Ordinary' is "The Crucified Man", which is very much in that vein. This has not been a deliberate strategic change, it's just what comes out, and when I set out to write this Christmas album I wasn't really quite sure what would come out.

Clem: You've said that you have wanted to write another Christmas collection for a long time. How long has this been brewing in your mind?

Graham: Well I guess I've been thinking about it every Christmas since 'Rumours Of Angels' was released because I so enjoyed writing those songs. There's a freedom that a subject like Christmas gives you, not just the subject but also the fact that you can include lots of different kinds of music. With praise and worship it's a bit formulaic and, as a lyricist, you're a bit limited in what you can put into other people's mouths. But if you're writing for yourself or other people, as a performance, you can do so much more. Lyrically you can be a lot more adventurous and poetic.

Clem: This latest album is clearly a studio production. You mentioned that hopefully people will use some of the material in churches. Do you see it then being used as a production in its entirety in churches?

Graham: I'm not sure that would be the case in the form you hear in on the album, because it is a collection of songs; it does flow but there isn't a narrative story that is carried through it - it's sort of aspects of the story. At the moment some friends of mine in the States, who have a background in musical theatre, are taking the songs and adapting and writing a storyline, unpacking some characters. It is going to be their Christmas production this December, I'll be over there and they will drag me into it as well. We'll see if it is a form that we can package up for other people to use.

In the States there is incredible demand for Christmas productions and if it is successful, which I think it will be because they are very gifted people, then it might be something we can bring back here.

Clem: So is there going to be a 'Rumours Of Angels' type presentation at the NEC or similar as you did before?

Graham: Well, we are just formulating plans at the moment about what will happen next year. It was too soon to try and make the tour this year, and plus I've only just finished the 'Out Of The Ordinary' tour. But we are working on plans for 2008, although I'm not sure what shape that will take. Watch this space as they say.

But you know, people tell us that they love to adapt the material and create their own productions, weaving new songs like these together with carols - because everyone wants to hear the traditional carols.

Clem: And you use lyrics from carols quite a lot, and there's even some of Handel's 'Messiah' in there too!