As he watched the world come to a standstill, David Crowder focused on doing chores around the house.
That was until his wife grounded him as she jokingly told him he had pressure-washed the concrete driveway so much it was turning to gravel.
It was time, he was told, to get back to work.
The result was his fourth album as a solo artist, “Milk & Honey,” in which he has sought to bring comfort to his fans during this difficult time and includes such standouts as “Good God Almighty,” “In the House” and “He Is.”
The title alludes to the journey of Moses as he led the Israelites out of captivity through the wilderness to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
“Everything I was writing was very hopeful, pointing toward the other side of this thing, like ‘Hey, we’re going to be back together in no time,’” Crowder said in a telephone interview as he prepares to bring his “Milk & Honey Tour” to the Tabernacle on Nov. 8. “It’s a very hopeful record although it was written from a moment when we were not in the happiest of places.”
By chance, the multiple Grammy-nominated Atlanta musician, songwriter and singer with his trademark long beard had just finished remodeling his Buckhead home, once owned by former Atlanta Falcons player Gerald Riggs. He converted part of the basement into a state-of-the-art recording studio.
While most of his previous albums have been recorded when he was out on the road — in locker rooms, on tour buses or in the back of arenas — this time he was forced by the pandemic to stay at home, a lot of the work taking place over Zoom calls, FaceTime and sending files forth and back.
He describes his latest album — perhaps the best yet — as a blend of “sweet tea and gasoline” that marries the acoustic country from his East Texas roots and the rich urban sounds of his new home of Atlanta.
Crowder and his wife, Toni, an interior designer and architect, both contracted COVID-19, but he considers them fortunate because he knew several people who didn’t survive.
During the lockdown, tours were stopped. Churches were holding services online and concert venues went dark.
“What was nuts is I don’t think any of us ever had a spot in our heart or our brain where you couldn’t go to church,” said Crowder, a member of Passion City Church. “Here in the U.S., you just don’t think of that as a possibility. I think what is incredible is that most folks were able to pivot and still find a way to stay connected to their church family online.”
Being away, though, Crowder said he also developed a deeper appreciation for the times people are able to get together.
That goes also for his shows.
“It’s been a blast just to be back out and making music,” he said. “It’s wonderful.”
The pandemic had a big impact on his music as well. When he sings songs of faith with an audience, there’s a depth that he says was not fully present before the pandemic because everyone is happy to be together once again.
The first song rolled out on the new album, which was released in June, was the anthem-like “Good God Almighty,” which he describes as rambunctious and forward-looking. The song has already won an ASCAP Award and has been nominated for a Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.
On the album, Crowder worked with a writing and production team out of Nashville that included Jeff Sojka and Ben Glover, both of whom he worked with on his 2015 solo hit “Come as You Are.”
“Milk & Honey” made extensive use of choirs, which proved a bit difficult with the pandemic and social distancing. “It was crazy to put voices with voices over the internet,” he said. “I think we came up with something I call future choir.”
He’s happy to play the Tabernacle, a venue he loves and said is perfect for group singing.
“I think it just gets better and better when the crowd is out-singing you,” he said. “I don’t know what that says about my singing, but it sure is more fun that way.”
Fans should be ready for a rambunctious show that’s one big happy group singalong.
The next Atlanta stop won’t be until January.
Then Crowder will also be part of the Passion 2022 in Atlanta, a faith-based conference which brings together thousands of young Christian adults.
CONCERT PREVIEW
Crowder
7 p.m. Nov. 8. $25-$175. The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. 404-659-9022, tabernacleatl.com.
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