Carman comes back with a mix of old and new

AMERICA'S Sparrow Records is putting a huge marketing campaign behind the new double album by CCM veteran Carman. The 32-song 'Heart Of A Champion' is released in the States on October 24th. Carman, known for his free concerts, is undertaking a 72-city tour with three stadium dates expected to reach 1 million people. The marketing of the album and a new book and video will centre on the reason for Carman's departure from Nashville in 1996. For the last four years Carman has studied acting and screenwriting in Los Angeles and working on the script of a concept movie, Heart Of A Champion, a story about a boxer which will debut in American cinemas in February. The album and tour mark Carman's unexpected return to Christian music. "I thought it was pretty much over," the singer told CCM Update. "I just didn't want to stick around until I sold less and less records and there were less and less people coming. But I started to get songs again and I started getting excited about doing something fresh and new artistically." 'The 'Heart Of A Champion' album includes six new songs and 26 tracks chronicling Carman's 25 year career.