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Matt Maher
 One
of the most exciting things to experience in
the music industry is to watch an artist
grow from a local unknown into a national or
global phenomenon. The community of St.
Timothy Parish in Tempe, Arizona, has a
taste of this pride and wonder as they watch
Matt Maher grow from being their local youth
music minister into one of the most popular
and critically-praised Catholic artists in
the country.
Since the 2002 debut of his first CD “The
End and the Beginning,” the rise of Matt and
his music can only be described as
“meteoric.” At World Youth in Day in
Toronto, Matt’s “Litany of the Saints” was
sung at the official Papal Evening Prayer,
with the Holy Father singing the lyrical
prayer along with 700,000 young pilgrims
from around the world. Matt’s songs “Just
Like You” and “Love Has Come” were recorded
by Christian artist Kathy Troccoli for her
album “The Heart of Me,” which received a
Grammy nomination for 2002 Best
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year.
In October 2003, he received the Unity Award
for “Best New Artist of the Year” from the
United Catholic Music and Video Association.
Matt’s music has received glowing reviews
from major Catholic and Christian music
publications. He has become a popular
performer at youth ministry conferences and
rallies, with teenagers dancing, singing
along, and screaming in delight as Matt
leads them from the stage. On top of all
this, “The End and the Beginning” has gone
on to become one of the best-selling CDs in
the contemporary Catholic market.
And yet, in spite of the temptation to let
all this acclaim go to his head, Matt
manages to keep everything in proper
perspective. He still leads the music
ministry every Sunday night at St. Timothy’s
with his friend and mentor, Tom Booth. In
fact, Matt was unable to personally accept
his Unity Award at the ceremony in
Bloomingdale, Ohio, because of his parish
commitment. One only has to look at Matt’s
lyrics to understand the depth of his love
and dedication to Jesus and the church: “I
want to be holy just like you . . .” “Love
has come to show the way . . .” “My God is
powerful, is so faithful, is wonderful to me
. . .” “Jesus I surrender my life to you . .
.” Of his CD’s title song, Matt says “We are
an ‘end people.’ Most of us spend our lives
stuck at the end. For some the end means
death, or graduation, or changing careers.
We look at it all with finality. God looks
at the end and says, ‘No, that’s the
beginning.’ With God, death is life.”
Now, with the release of his highly
anticipated sophomore CD, “Welcome to Life,”
Matt Maher explores the wonders and
challenges of this life that God calls us
to. How blessed are we to have a grounded
believer like Matt as he welcomes us to walk
with him in his ministry to all God’s
people, young and old, around the world.
Album Reviews:
The End of the Beginning
About The End and the Beginning, Maher
writes, “What is ‘the end of the beginning’?
For many, this statement means many things.
To some, the end is death; graduation;
moving away. Our beginning as well:
creation; birth; new jobs; marriage. Our
lives are full of ‘Alphas and Omegas.’
However, they are not the Alpha and Omega,
and they never co-exist—except in
Christ—especially in the Liturgy and the
Eucharist.
 Here,
the end of time and the beginning of time
are one. Death is life. They are all subject
to the unifying power of God. The end and
the beginning is Heaven; resurrection;
eternity. This is what Christianity is
about; and at the heavenly banquet, we are
given a glimpse of this. It is my hope that
these songs will help re-orient your vision
towards our common goal—salvation.”
It was this CD that earned him the Unity
Award for “Best New Artist of the Year.”
Mixing alternative rock styles and gentle
ballads, “The End and the Beginning” is
packed with slick, superbly recorded songs.
"Love Has Come" opens the album with a big,
energetic sound marked by driving drums, a
steady groove and excellent guitar work. His
spellbinding "Litany" was used in the Papal
Evening Prayer at World Youth Day 2002 in
Toronto, where Matt was a featured
performer. "You Know Who I Am" was
co-written by friend and mentor Tom Booth,
who sings and plays bass and percussion on
several songs. The title track, a fast-paced
rock gem extolling the Eucharist as a
glimpse of the "heavenly banquet," closes
the album with a rush. The End and the
Beginning is only the beginning for this
gifted young songwriter and musician
Welcome to Life
In his most recent CD, “Welcome to Life,”
Matt Maher explores the wonders and
challenges of this life that God calls us
to. Maher has a very youthful, alternative
sound, much like Greg Walton, Curtis
Stephan, or Tom Booth.
 The
CD starts off with the title track, “Welcome
To Life,” as Maher does a great take of the
Beatles' “Magical Mystery Tour.” Sounding
very Paul McCartney-ish in vocals, Maher
wants us to hop on board the wonderful
journey of life and know that it may be
bumpy, but "the glorious Son" will help us
and be our guide. Another rockin’ tune is
“All Glory To God.” It's a classic song
you’ve heard, done very electric! Great
beat, and this could be played on
contemporary radio. Maher switches to a
slower ballad on “Jesus, My Everything,” a
sweet song of devotion, asking Jesus to take
us just as we are. Another ballad on the CD
is “Set Me As A Seal,” in which Maher does a
beautiful, slow duet with Jenny Pixler. This
is followed by another deeply moving song of
love
called simply, “I Love You, Lord.” What more
can you say? Giving an almost Middle Eastern
sound is “Isaiah 61,” which tells of the
mission of the afflicted. Maher has taken
much of the text from this scripture and set
it to an awesome blend of vocals and music.
The last song on the CD is perfectly called
“Lead Me Home.” What else could you think
after being told, Welcome To Life, but to
know we have a great reward after this life?
Matt Maher has made a great CD.
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