I can still remember the first time I sat in an auditorium and watched Mark Trammell sing.  It was back in the mid 2000’s before the “Mark Trammell Trio” morphed into the Mark Trammell Quartet.  As usual, it was pouring down rain outside.  (Somehow it always rains during this particular concert that’s an annual event for our area!)  Though, all those who attend have grown accustomed to it, the long line of ponchos and umbrellas before the doors opened for the evening concert proved that.  Anyway, I had myself a seat with my family in the bleachers, about half way up, on the right side of the college gym.  I was 16 years old and the last thing I wanted to hear was another rendition of How Great Thou Art…yet, as that very hymn was sung, I was captivated.  Mark was singing this as a solo at that time, so the other guys stood off to the side and quietly watched.  There was no grand production.  No fancy light show, no choreography or anything like that – just one man singing with a track.  Yet, in that hymn my heart heard the conviction in which that voice sung and it promised me that what I was seeing was real, real compassion for the lost and genuine love for the hurting.  That moment is forever etched into my memory.  When the song ended, I turned to my sister and said, “We need to buy some of their CD’s before we leave tonight.”  She nodded her head in agreement.  Well, we have been buying their CD’s ever since…and we’ve never been disappointed with what we’ve heard.  The Mark Trammell Quartet has the knack for taking songs both new and old and arranging them as food for the soul.  The same could be said about their brand new release, Your Walk Talks.

For this stop on the tour, we asked Nick Trammell (MTQ’s lead singer) a few questions about the new CD.

Q&A with Nick Trammell:

LC:  The first track on Your Walk Talks is one of your songs, Don’t Stop Running.  Is there a “story behind” the song?  What was the inspiration to write that theme?

NT:  “About 4 years ago I was working at the Honda manufacturing plant as a co-op student employee while I was finishing school. My wife Jessica and I had a part-time group that sang locally around our home area. We were wanting to do some original songs, and when I had free time at work, I would write. Don’t Stop Running was the product of wanting a fun upbeat song with an encouraging message. Whether singing locally, or traveling nationally, I’ve noticed there are a lot of hurting people who just need some encouragement. I hope that’s what this song does.”

LC:  What was your favorite moment in the studio while recording Your Walk Talks?

NT:  “This was my first time in the studio with the whole group so the whole experience was fun to me. Since I grew up listening to The Cathedrals, singing on “Thanks to Calvary” was a highlight. We tried to keep it true to the original version and Pat did a wonderful job on it. Singing songs with Dad that I had a hand in writing was also a highlight. I have sung on a few songs that I have written before, but this was the first time with Dad. That was special.”

LC:  At what time in your life did you feel the call of God to sing in full time ministry?

NT:  “I have always enjoyed doing both from a young age. I don’t remember a specific moment in time when I first felt the calling, but looking back I can see where God has prepared me at different stages in my life to be doing what I do today.”

There is one song on Your Walk Talks that really caught my attention when I listened to the CD the first time; it shares the same name of one of my favorite hymns, Man of Sorrows.  As the title would indicate, this is a big ballad…and I LOVE ballads!  Mark Trammell sings the verses of this profound song written by Dianne Wilkinson and Rebecca J. Peck.  Dianne is such a wonderful songwriter and you can always count on her lyrics to be Scripturally accurate!  What intrigued me most about the message of this ballad was how she chose to use words and phrases that we have heard from Scripture many times and turned them into a two-fold story of the Redeemer, told from the perspective of the Redeemed.  It’s beautiful.  With phrases like “acquainted with grief,” “smitten of God,” and “man of sorrows,” it is easy to see the resemblance to Isaiah 53.  It reminds us that all of the horrible things that Jesus suffered was so He could be our Savior.  Also, the touch of the hymn, Man of Sorrows What a Name, used in the bridge was impeccable!  (Pssst!  Just between you and me, there’s another well-known song used in the bridge too, but you’ll have to wait and hear what it is on the CD.  You’ll like it!)

Now, I know you want to hear more about Your Walk Talks, so why don’t you visit the next stop on the blog tour by clicking the link below?  There you can read what my friend Aaron Swain has to say about the new CD and the Q&A he had with Pat Barker!
Click HERE to continue the tour!