A song that was created for someone who was going through a difficult time in life has now evolved into something that anyone who has been through tough times can relate to. Whenever we encounter problems or hardships, the tendency is to either fight or fly. This song however tells us to do the opposite: Be Still.
Be Still is a praise album created by Maria Chew along with some of her closest friends. It differs from other praise albums in the sense that each song has its own story to tell and is aged through time.
The Creation
The sound of each song is an expression of how unique God’s creativity flows through every individual. Some chords are unpredictable, some will surprise you, and the creators mostly used 7th & 9 chords in their music. Paired with the unique arrangements by Eric Pablo, this resulted in ensuring that every song is a different experience.
Creating this album for Maria has been a lifelong dream but as with anything worth doing, there were hardships and challenges, the main one being that of scheduling. In God’s perfect time, despite the fact that the creator, singers, and arranger live in different countries, things started to fall into place and in one day, the singers, the recording studio, the sound engineer and everyone’s schedule all matched.
The Singers
The singer for “Be Still” which is the song cover is Jenny Pagalilauan. Maria and Jenny used to be bandmates but lost track of each other and then reunited with the help of Facebook. Jenny was the perfect choice because she has a strong solid mature voice, especially when reaching high notes. She sings 3 more songs in the album: “Fullness of Joy,” “Wonderful Savior”, and “Lord of My Life”.
Faith Purificacion sings “Touch My Heart” which is a creation of Pastor Eric as well as “He Restores My Soul” which is a collaboration between Maria and her eldest daughter.
The only male singer in this album is Zaldy Reblora. He is from the music ministry of the church that Maria used to attend to and his voice is perfect for duets as well as “I Pray in Jesus’ Name” which is a song that was composed 20 years ago.
The Cover Song
“Be Still,” is very applicable in today’s predicament, and in any situation people may have. When we are stressed, when we have no peace, when we don’t know what to do, just be still, and seek God. He will give us peace that passes all understanding. Trust in Him because He cares for you. And even when we are happy, be still and meditate on the goodness of God in your life.
This is why the song was chosen. In this day and age where everyone is in a hurry to post, like, share, comment, and just get on with things, it is important to remember that we need to be still and stay still. This is the only way we can communicate with God and hear His message for us. Be still.
Listen to the song “Be Still” through SoundCloud, You Tube, Amazon Music, Apple Music/iTunes, Spotify, and also on other digital stores worldwide.
To listen to the song, click the link here:
Be Still (Track #5 of the album “Be Still”) – YouTube
