Internationally acclaimed, intense singer/songwriter/praise leader Jake Hamilton is set to independently release his highly anticipated, third album, Beautiful Rider, on January 21, 2014 with global distribution through Fuel Music Distribution. Recording with his band as Jake Hamilton and the Sound, the former Jesus Culture Music artist's sound is an anomaly compared to the rest of the modern worship scene.

Aside from undeniably vertical lyrics, Beautiful Rider is perhaps more akin to a melodic blend between Jack White and the Foo Fighters with everything from the classic rock riffs of Led Zeppelin, to the vivid storytelling of Bob Dylan, plus the old time gospel flavor of Mavis Staples.

"The church sometimes creates definitions as to what's Christian and not based on style, and as a result, they've handed the enemy these styles and said 'go for it,'" observes Hamilton. "There was a time when Kurt Cobain was singing 'Come As You Are' to a broken, hurting and disenfranchised generation, but it's the church that should be telling people to come exactly how they are- broken, dirty and dying, because Jesus can save them."

With international touring that has included many major American festivals to an audience of over 10,000 in Brazil to concerts alongside artists like Switchfoot, Third Day, MercyMe, Jesus Culture, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder, Family Force 5 and others, Jake Hamilton and the Sound continues its journey to four continents in 2014 with stops in the US, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and more. With his somewhat unconventional worship experience that has yielded testimonies as diverse as deliverance from pornography and sexual addiction to cancer healings, Hamilton has played such well known venues as Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Nokia Theater, Allstate Arena and House of Blues, as well churches of every denomination around the world.

"We're actually part worship leaders and part missionaries in the sense that many of these places actually cost me money to go there and they are areas that wouldn't normally hear any type of Christian music," suggests Hamilton. "Nothing for us changes no matter where we go, whether we're in a room of 50 or 5,000, because we play the exact same way with the same hearts. I even went through the streets of India declaring the name of Jesus and found 400 people joining me in a public park, followed by an invitation to sing at a local temple, even though the mere mention of Christ's name has been known to get people stoned!"

Given the assorted body of believers and seekers alike encountered by Hamilton around the world, it's essential for him to have an arsenal of anthems that can be sung across all cultural and geographical borders. In the case of Beautiful Rider, "Never Let Me Down" and "Just Beyond The Breaking" could both simultaneously fill that void, and while the old school blues rock riff of the first or the surging piano/guitar amalgamation of the second might not be as common coming from a church pulpit, the message comes across loud and clear.

"Every time we play 'Never Let Me Down,' no matter where we are at, it triggers a sing-a-long with people declaring that the Lord will never let us down, leave us or forsake us. That idea ties into 'Just Beyond The Breaking' and the fact that God always shows up in the most beautiful and tangible way, even when we have no idea what we're doing. Don't worry about the details or people showing up, just keep moving forward and know that the way we win is to never give up trust in the Lord."

The idea of trust is further punctuated in the title track of the album. "It's about something pure, delicate, kind and sweet next to a rider on a white horse coming to judge and rule with power, authority and holiness," says Hamilton. "It's a marriage of finding new ways to say 'we love you Lord,' but also to authentically express the fact that we have no idea what we're doing or playing, just really trusting in Him to lead the way."

For more information on Jake Hamilton and the Sound and Beautiful Rider, go to www.jakehamiltonmusic.com, Facebook and Twitter.

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