PRODUCT INFO Israel Houghton Love GodLove People in stores 08.31.10 Amazon / iTunes

"Love God. Love People. is a simple yet pivotal statement about the essence of what life here on Earth ultimately comes down to."

And now it's time to make a change... Life gets better
It just gets better when we
We look around and see all of humanity
Waiting on someone / Someone is you and me

In addition to the obvious Biblical command found in the title song, the heart of the album may lie in the haunting "Others," penned by Houghton and his wife Meleasa. The song began when the couple came up with separate parts for what they thought would be different songs. But when they sat down at the piano, Houghton began to feel that the lyrics might go well together. Within minutes of opening to this possibility, the song was born.  

"Meleasa has a tendency to write strong, raw lyrics like the opening lines of this song: "I see the state of the world and it grieves me. I tend to come with more of the lighter 'I wanna love like you love, wanna love others the way that you love me.' That makes for a lot of tension and release in what we write which is what music always needs."  

That innate sense of music chemistry has helped Houghton create a canon of songs that have become favorites in houses of faith and on radio dials across the globe. Having written or co-written 11 CCLI Top 500 favorites, Houghton uses his multi-cultural upbringing as a key reference point in his boundary-defying music, inspiring people of all ages, races and cultures to come together under the banner of Christ. Renowned as a worship leader in Pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood church in Houston, Houghton has also led hundreds of thousands in worship at events, churches and festivals around the world. In 1995, he and Meleasa founded New Breed Ministries, an organization comprised of noted musicians and singers who serve within their respective churches and, together, serve the Church at large. For their efforts, they have been fittingly graced with two Gold-selling albums, three Grammy Awards, six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards and a Soul Train Award.

Summing up Love God. Love People., and the culmination of his first 20 years in music ministry, Houghton states, "For this season of my life, this is what I'm still passionate about. If I wasn't an artist, I would still be an activist - out trying to make a difference and giving a voice to those who don't have one. New Breed could have easily found its end at any time overnight. Not because the music wasn't good, but because we had failed up to that point to discover our real purpose. It was not to build a platform under myself but to build a platform under others. Once we as a team grasped the understanding that 'Strength is for service not status' (Romans: 15), we knew our success was not about winning awards, selling platinum CDs or selling out concert halls. It was about taking whatever momentum we could gather and giving it back in service. That's what has kept me and New Breed relevant, focused and effective. And I am grateful that God has surrounded me with people who have that same heart."