When Ronnie Freeman released his laid-back, piano-based pop debut five years ago, it was simply one more step in a logical progression that had begun when he first stood behind a mic in Montgomery, Alabama, as a 7-year-old and performed “Rise Again” for his church. A skilled songsmith and accomplished worship leader, Freeman began to see his audience expand after the release of his Rocketown debut. In addition to solo appearances, the young artist had opportunities to open shows for Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman and Phillips, Craig & Dean, among others. Listeners connected quickly with the heartfelt expressions of longing, worship, redemption, and celebration that are the hallmarks of Ronnie’s music, and when he felt led to chart his own musical course, he took with him a new fanbase broad enough to warrant 70 live shows a year.
While Ronnie continued touring vigorously, he made a conscious decision not to rush the creative process simply to get another record out in the typical 18-month industry cycle. Instead, he began to write at a more leisurely pace, waiting for moments of inspiration, allowing the songs time to simmer as he shaped and reshaped them. Over a period of three years he crafted the 10 songs that now comprise his second release, God Speaking.
Freeman’s willingness to be patient with his muses is evidenced in the subtlety and organic fluidity his new project displays. As with his debut, the smooth vocals and articulate, emotive piano riffs take center stage, but there’s an even deeper yearning at play here, something that Ronnie says he’s only really beginning to understand in retrospect.
The project’s first single, “God Speaking,” is an understated, melodic, rock ballad that centers on the Creator’s faithfulness to meet us wherever we are in that journey toward freedom
“I hope these songs will inspire people to reflect,” he concludes, “to come to that crossroads of faith where they examine their own hearts and lives. I personally played church for so long, and I want to call people out of that. Not in a scolding way, but in an inviting way. I want to call them into a new place. A place, where together, we can hear God Speaking.”