| Coat of Many Colors | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Brandon Lake |
| Cover: | Coat of Many Colors - Brandon Lake (Album Cover).jpg |
| Recorded: | 2022–2023 |
| Genre: |
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| Length: | 73:07 |
| Label: | Provident Label Group |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Song Sessions |
| Prev Year: | 2022 |
Coat of Many Colors is the fourth studio album by American contemporary worship musician Brandon Lake, released via Provident Label Group on October 20, 2023.[1] The album features a guest appearance by Benjamin William Hastings.[2] The production of the album was handled by Hank Bentley, Jacob Sooter, Joe LaPorta, Jonathan Smith, and Micah Nichols.
The album was supported by the release of "Praise You Anywhere," and "Count 'Em" as singles. "Praise You Anywhere" reached number one on the US Hot Christian Songs chart. "Count 'Em" peaked at number 19 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. "Coat of Many Colors" and "Tear Off the Roof" were released as promotional singles. The title track peaked at number 20 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. "Tear Off the Roof" peaked at number 27 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. The album was also promoted by the Coat of Many Colors Tour in 2023 and the Tear Off the Roof Tour in 2024, spanning cities across the United States.
Coat of Many Colors was a commercial success upon its release, debuting at number one on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart in the United States, with 9,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week. The album debuted at number nine on the Official Charts' Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart in the United Kingdom.
On April 12, 2023, Provident Entertainment announced that they had signed Lake to their artist roster.[3] Lake had released two studio albums prior to signing with Provident: House of Miracles (2020) containing his first solo chart-topping song "Gratitude", and Help! (2022).[4] Following the Provident signing, Lake released a live rendition of "Talking to Jesus" with Thomas Rhett as a standalone single on May 12, 2023.[5] "Talking to Jesus" debuted at No. 26 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart dated May 27, 2023,[6] and it was Lake's highest debut streaming week in his career.[7] On August 30, 2023, Lake announced Coat of Many Colors as his then-upconimng album, being availed for pre-order and was slated for release on October 20, 2023.[8] [9]
Leading up to the release of Help! in May 2022, Lake shared in an interview with K-Love that Help was initially intended to be a hold-people-over extended play of three songs that became a nine-song record, indicating that "a "proper" long-form follow-up collection is in the works."[10] In an interview with Billboard following his single "Gratitude" spending four weeks at number one on Hot Christian Songs chart in February 2023, Lake shared that he was in the process of narrowing the songs to be included on the upcoming album and begin with pre-production.[11] On July 31, 2023, Lake shared on an Instagram live stream that the album was inspired by the biblical story of Joseph, who received a "coat of many colors" from Jacob, saying "I was thinking of how we are all wrapped in a coat of many colors; we are clothed in the Father's love and His pride for us. Every single one of us is His favorite."[12]
In an interview with People, Lake mentioned that the album will contains R&B, Christian country, rock, and pop sounds.[13] Lindsay Williams of K-Love described the album as "leaning into a variety of sonic influences to create more of a boundary-pushing CCM pop project than a straightforward modern worship album." Williams noted that Lake "borrows powerful symbolism from the biblical story of Joseph for the title-cut and opening track, the pit-to-palace narrative isn't woven throughout the entire set." AllMusic described the album as "set of modern praise & worship songs" with lyrical content exploring themes of "themes of faith, family, and overcoming life's struggles." Jasmin Patterson of NewReleaseToday described the album's listening experience as "a singer-songwriter, pop, and R&B album," with Lake's vocal delivery being reminiscent of Ben Rector and Coldplay.
The album cover shows Lake wear his own "coat of many colors" while standing in water, drawing inspiration from the idea of taking "rags" and turning them into "riches." The coat was designed by Greg Lauren, the nephew of fashion designer Ralph Lauren.[14]
"Praise You Anywhere" was released as the lead single from the album, along with its accompanying music video, on June 9, 2023.[15] "Praise You Anywhere" peaked at number one on the Hot Christian Songs chart.[16]
"Count 'Em" was released as the second single from the album, along with its accompanying music video, on August 4, 2023.[17] "Count 'Em" peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.
"Coat of Many Colors" was released as the first promotional single from the album, along with its accompanying music video, on September 8, 2023.[18] The title track peaked at number 20 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.
"Tear Off the Roof" was released as the second promotional single from the album, along with its accompanying music video, which features the cast and characters of The Chosen, on October 6, 2023.[19] "Tear Off the Roof" peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.
The official music video for "Kids" was released via YouTube on November 14, 2023.[20]
The official music video for "More" featuring Benjamin William Hastings and Leeland, was released through YouTube on December 15, 2023.[21]
Brandon Lake performed an acoustic take of "Coat of Many Colors" on the Grammy's Positive Vibes Only web series on October 23, 2023.[22]
On July 31, 2023, Lake announced that he will embark on the Coat of Many Colors Tour in support of the album. The tour commenced in late fall and early winter and featured Benjamin William Hastings as his special guest.[23]
On November 20, 2023, Lake announced that he will embark on the Tear Off the Roof Tour in the spring of 2024, with Doe featuring as a special guest.[24] The tour will span twenty cities across the United States beginning in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 7, 2024, and concluding in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 5, 2024.[25]
AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five, describing the album as "another life-affirming set of modern praise & worship songs" in Lake's discography. Alex Hopper of American Songwriter commented that Lake proves he's worth the attention he has been receiving through this album, saying "He expounds on the traditional talking points of Christian music and delivers something unique for the genre—both sonically and thematically. He crafts a distinctive prayer that feels innate to Lake's own relationship with God."[26] Reviewing for Jesus Freak Hideout, Matthew Spiker concluded: "Overall, I found the music and lyrical output of Brandon Lake's Coat Of Many Colors to be exquisite, even if none of the songs reach the level of excellence that 'Gratitude' hit on his last album. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Brandon." Timothy Yap of JubileeCast commended Lake for "his ardent search for scripture to impart fresh and exciting truths in his songs," in his review of the album, while bemoaning the number of songs included saying "Instead of stuffing the album with C-graded songs, it may have been better to hone the album down to 10 carefully crafted tracks. Less is more." Lindsay Williams in her K-Love review concluded: "Despite the challenge of following up a once-in-a-lifetime smash like 'Gratitude,' 'Coat of Many Colors' makes it clear the multifaceted artist is far from a one-hit wonder and has plenty of surprises up his sleeve."[27] In a NewReleaseToday review, Jasmin Patterson wrote a positive review of the album, saying "Coat of Many Colors is a testament to how Brandon Lake skillfully walks in the balance of worship leader and artist. At the same time, He can lead God's people into passionate praise and prayerful conversation with God, and he's not afraid to play in all the various sonic spaces that different genres provide."[28]
In the United States, Coat of Many Colors debuted at number one on the Top Christian Albums chart in the United States dated November 4, 2023, earning a total of 9,000 equivalent album units in sales in its first week.[29] The album marked Lake's first number one entry on the Top Christian Albums chart. The album concurrently registered on the mainstream Billboard 200 chart at number 135, becoming Lake's first entry on the chart.[30]
In the United Kingdom, it launched at number nine on the Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart published by the Official Charts Company,
Adapted from AllMusic.[31]
| Date | Format | Label | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 20, 2023 | Provident Label Group |