Blue Releases Anticipated Sophmore Album Kingdom

After serving up the stirring reminder of how God’s light still shines, even in the darkest of places, like Thailand’s Red Light district where congregational favorite “God Of This City” was born, Bluetree is back with Kingdom, releasing May 8 on Exchange Media. Inspired by what singer, primary songwriter and Bluetree founding member Aaron Boyd and the congregation at Exchange Church Belfast have been studying in the Sunday morning and evening services, the songs on Kingdom also officially mark a new era for the group.

 Finding themselves unsettled and uninspired from spending so much time away from their home church in Ireland, Bluetree cleared their schedule, changed their relationship with their booking agents and management and was reborn, not just as a band, but a community of believers worshipping, learning and doing life together. 

 As a result, new songs naturally started emerging for Bluetree’s sophomore project, Kingdom. Produced and mixed by Paul Mills (Third Day, Lincoln Brewster), the album was recorded in Coldplay’s studio in Liverpool and edited and mixed in Mills’ studio in Franklin, TN. In addition to Boyd, Martin Smith [Delirious?] contributed vocals while Ryan Griffith, a worship leader at Exchange Church Belfast, contributed songwriting to the project.

 Serving as the album’s first single, “Jesus Healer” is one of Kingdom’s most personal snapshots as Boyd writes about the journey with his young daughter who has cystic fibrosis.

 “The beauty about being in the church is when worship and the Word go hand in hand,” Aaron shares. “You have the songwriters and people gifted in that area writing from what they hear and how the Holy Spirit has prompted them in that area. The church is singing them back in to response what’s happening there, and ‘Jesus Healer’ eventually came out of a 10-week sermon series by the same name.”

 With the overarching theme about who we are as children in the Kingdom of God, the album’s evocative artwork also helps set the tone. Underscoring what it means for believers to be part of the new covenant, an existence that’s defined by love, power and God’s unmerited favor, the visuals are inspired by the story of David and Goliath.

 “When David put on Saul’s armor, he ended up taking it off and saying it hadn’t proved itself to him,” Aaron explains. “David knew what had proved itself to him in his life—the power of God. David had seen the power of God at work during his whole life. He knew he was in covenant with God. So to try and put on another’s armor would be him trying to operate in his own strength.”

 Kingdom is a passionate reminder of Jesus’s redemptive work on the Cross. Mirroring the grace-centered approach that’s a hallmark of Exchange Church Belfast, the album is meant to encourage believers to walk in the fullness of life.

 “With the songs on Kingdom, we wanted to build up the church. We can see people released—and set free—from what they’re walking through because of what Jesus did,” Boyd shares. “At the end of the day, church shouldn’t be about agendas or flashy programs. If people aren’t encountering God, we’re missing the whole point, and church becomes just another social club. That’s why I’ve wanted to pour everything I have into the Body and say ‘God, here’s all I’ve got. Whatever you want to do, I’m here.’”

 Belfast, Ireland-based modern worship band Bluetree, whose acclaimed album, God Of This City, became one the best selling Christian recordings of 2009, was also nominated for a Dove Award for New Artist of the Year and received Worship Leader’s Readers’ Choice Awards for “Breakout Artist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” (“God Of This City”). In addition to recording, Boyd also released a book in 2010, God of This City: Greater Things Have Yet to Come (Regal).

 The full Kingdom track listing follows:

• Glorious Victorious
• You Were You Are
• Exalt Him
• Destined to Reign
• Rest
• Lightens Up
• It Is Finished
• Jesus Healer
• Shine
• You Are My Rock
• Under My Feet