Christian worship artist Jon Shirley
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“Heaven Hear Us” is available for instant download in the iTunes Store. This disc – released in 2006 – is the second of two solo discs released by Jon.
Heaven Hear Us
In the spring of 2006, Jon traveled to Dallas, Texas to record his second CD, Heaven Hear Us, at Spaceway Studios, owned by recording artists Shane and Shane. "Shane Barnard and I have been friends for years, and he was spending some time in Kansas City in between tours. He talked me into recording at Spaceway over a tennis match one night. Shane was all of the sudden into tennis — and I mean hardcore — and he’d play with anyone. So he’d drag me out onto the court and just abuse me. And somehow, in between killing me game after game and later playing each other new songs, he talked me into Spaceway. I’m glad he did, and I think the record turned out really well. My two good friends David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Celine Dion) and Will Hunt (Shane and Shane, Shawn McDonald, Charlie Hall, Ryan Cabrera) co-produced Heaven Hear Us. I knew going into it that there was going to be some serious chemistry between them."
Heaven Hear Us is a departure from the tonality of Hallelujah, one that feels like there is some sunshine after the storm.
We make it easy to learn Jon’s worship songs with chord charts.
A recent review of Heaven Hear Us describes the album this way:
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The heavily textured intro leads into the slammin’ title track, a Crowder-like praise-rocker. Like many of the Heaven Hear Us tracks, it is eminently sing-able. Shirley’s heart for the church shines throughout the album, and many of its songs were written for and inspired by the Gathering, his worship community in Kansas City.
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"…a Crowder-like praise-rocker…"
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An artist / worshipper, he writes with his God and his church in mind, it seems. The deeply worshipful "You Are Worthy (of Your Glory)" was sparked by a line of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem, "God’s Grandeur." Previously recorded on his last record, "The Light of All Men" comes across as a prayer as much as a song, performed with great fervor, moving mid-track into a free-flowing jam of adoration. But Heaven Hear Us is not all serenity. "Rise Up" is an old-school rocker, complete with ’60s electric tidbits scattered throughout. The powerful "To Breathe You In" opens with percolating percussion and gorgeous strings. Its sonic tones are especially moving considering that the song was written about the first moments of his sister arriving in heaven following her accidental death. Shane Barnard’s background vocals greatly enrich "Rich and Full," a deeply expressive acoustic ballad. But the album’s standout track has to be its closing song of invitation, the vibrant "Holy Fire." Lush and rich with glorious bits of shimmering sound, it leaves you in a state of awed worship, aimed heavenward. Jon Shirley’s heart for the church comes across beautifully on Heaven Hear Us. If you’re a worshipper you will have this one in the CD player for days on end.