Oliver Anthony Says He Was Compelled to Release His Debut Album on Easter Sunday—Here’s Why

Oliver Anthony released his debut album Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind yesterday (March 31). Since he introduced himself to the world with “Rich Men North of Richmond” last year, the Virginia native has done things his way. Instead of following trends or walking the line of the music business, he’s followed his heart and instincts to where he is now. So, it was very on-brand for him to buck the convention of releasing new music on Fridays and dropping his long-awaited debut on Easter Sunday.

The release date of Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind was more than on-brand for Anthony. In a recent social media post, Anthony explained that he was spirit-led to release his album on Easter Sunday. He explained his reasoning in a post that included a short clip of a live performance.

[RELATED: Oliver Anthony Starts Recent Concert By Reading Bible Passage About Humility]

“We decided to release this on Easter, we felt compelled to do so heavily because of the grace that has been afforded to us by Jesus as he took on the entire sin of the world as a payment for us and our inequities,” Anthony wrote in the post. “Lord knows we need all the help we can get down here and fortunately for us, we don’t have to be ‘good enough’ for Jesus,” he added. “He is a loving God that affords forgiveness and abundant grace to anyone who would trust in him, whether they be the broken, the downtrodden, the abused, the alcoholic, the drug addict, the thief, or anyone else. This album is for you, the people,” he concluded.

More About Oliver Anthony’s Debut Album

Despite the spiritual or religious reason for its release, Hymnal isn’t a gospel album. However, eight of the tracks on the album feature recitations of passages from the Bible, much like Anthony does in his live shows.

The 18 tracks on Hymnal include Anthony’s popular previously-released tracks and some that only those who have attended live shows have heard. However, these aren’t the rough-around-the-edges cuts that fans are accustomed to. Instead, Dave Cobb produced the album. As a result, this debut album sees Anthony sounding better than ever.

Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind Tracklist

1. “From Ecclesiastes Chapter 5 (I)
2. “Rich Man’s Gold”
3. “From Ecclesiastes Chapter 5 (II)
4. “Doggonit”
5. “I’ve Got to Get Sober”
6. “From Ecclesiastes Chapter 4”
7. “Cobwebs and Cocaine”
8. “From Ecclesiastes Chapter 1”
9. “Hell on Earth”
10. “From Matthew Chapter 24”
11. “I Want to Go Home”
12. “Feeling Purdy Good”
13. “From Proverbs Chapter 3”
14. “Always Love You Like a Good Old Dog”
15. “From Ecclesiastes Chapter 9”
16. “VCR Kid”
17. “From Matthew Chapter 10”
18. “Momma’s Been Hunting”  

Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images