Charles Wesley Godwin has outdone himself once again.
Titled Christian Name, his brand new release isn’t just another album from one of country music’s greatest up and coming stars. Instead, it’s an intentionally vulnerable testimony to unwavering faith in the wake of tragedy, conveyed through profound lyricism and sonic delivery.
Each song is fantastic in its own right, but together, they carry much more weight, especially with context. Leading up to the album release, Godwin appeared on several podcasts and interviews through which he explained the tragic circumstances and subsequent mindset that inspired Christian Name. Warning: It’s heavy.
On August 22, 2024, Godwin and his wife Samantha lost their third child, Samuel, when he was stillborn. Christian Name is his story of processing grief and enduring unfathomable tragedy by staying true to his roots, loving his family, and most importantly… maintaining unwavering faith in the goodness of God and finding solace in redemption.
The foundation for the album is laid out perfectly in “Sermon,” the opening track that Godwin pulled from a sermon clip he and his team came across on YouTube. Delivered by Dave Stacy, a Kentucky coal miner who preaches to his fellow workers in the mines, “Sermon” is rooted in one of the most profound professions of faith in the entire Bible. In this particular clip, Stacy preaches on Job 13:15, which he paraphrases as “Though the Lord slays me, well I trust in Him.”
A fittingly powerful start to the record, this verse is something that Godwin has come to embody over the past couple of years, and Christian Name serves as his intentional effort to share through song how important it is to remain faithful in the most trying of times. Demonstrating what this looks like in practice, Godwin acknowledges the hardships in “Try Again,” as faith is put to action, and he begins the journey of picking up the pieces and carrying on the best one can.
Embracing a more lighthearted tone for a couple of tracks, Godwin acknowledges how much better life is when he focuses on the good instead of the bad, acknowledging ordinary blessings such as his wife, family, and hometown. Bringing in the big guns to feature on this one, Godwin employed Luke Combs to provide vocals, marking a full circle moment of sorts since the pair first crossed paths a decade ago when Godwin opened for a relatively-unknown Combs at a bar in Morgantown, WV.
Continuing this sentiment with “Hallelujah High,” Godwin juxtaposes holiness with humanity’s sinful nature, and perhaps indirectly personifies a church community’s impact in building up those who need support the most. But don’t get used to the lighter moments, because they’re fleeting at best in Christian Name.
Perhaps the most poignant track on the album, Godwin began writing “Hey There Son” around the time his first son was born nearly six years ago, but ultimately shelved it with the thought that Lori McKenna would be the perfect songwriter to help him finish it. A lofty aspiration at the time, he was able to make it happen leading up to this album, and with Wyatt Flores featuring on vocals, this track certainly doesn’t lack star power. Tracing a father’s journey from welcoming his newborn son into the world to watching him become a father himself, before ultimately having the roles reversed as that same son cares for his aging dad, it evokes a bittersweet emotion in the context of gratitude for family and unimaginable loss.
While “Hey There Son” captures the essence of a lifelong relationship between father and son, the next several songs dive further into how fragile those blessings can be. “I Caught the Sunrise,” “Place I Know,” and “Every Once in a While” form the emotional heart of the album as Godwin refuses to shy away from grief or pretend that faith eliminates the heartbreak.
While he never felt like he had intentionally strayed from his faith in his life, the stillborn birth of Samuel made him realize that he hadn’t been prioritizing his relationship with God in the way that he should have. In these three songs, he admits it felt as though the walls were caving in around him as he questioned why something like this could happen, before ultimately surrendering his pain to God and finding hope—not because the grief disappeared, but because his faith gave him the strength to lead his family through it.
By the time the title track arrives, the narrative shifts from asking difficult questions to accepting the reality that many will never be answered. Named after his grandfather, a Methodist preacher whose portrait he sits beneath in the album cover and a man for whom he has a great deal of respect, Godwin grapples with the intertwined nature of his family legacy and his own relationship with God. It’s no coincidence, either, that Charles Wesley was the name of an 18th century Methodist hymn writer responsible for the majority of songs Godwin has sang in church throughout his entire life.
Ultimately, he accepts the fact that he may never fully understand God’s will, but simultaneously refuses to lose trust in it. In doing so, Christian Name comes full circle, returning to the album’s opening declaration from the Job 13:15 sermon.
The remaining songs on the tracklist serve as the conclusion to the testimony Godwin spent the rest of the album communicating. “Street Advice” encourages listeners to keep an open mind as the Gospel can be spread through the most unassuming of messengers, like a stranger on the street, or even an unassuming country music record like this one. The only outside cut, Tony Lane’s “Gospel of the South” echoes a similar message, and it feels like it was written exactly for this album despite being written 20 years ago. “God’s Been Good To Me” and the closing track “Brand New” tie everything together as Godwin reflects on gratitude for his blessings and celebrates the redemption he has found by placing his trust in the Lord.
While my explanations are lengthy, this context is what makes Christian Name so compelling in its entirety. This isn’t just a country music album with deft songwriting and intricate instrumentation from many of the industries best. It’s the testimony of a husband, father, and Appalachian son who trusted God and stood steadfast in his faith when it was put to the test in an unimaginable way.
Godwin isn’t seeking validation through listeners agreeing with him, nor is he forcing his beliefs onto anyone. He’s found a way to carry the darkest chapter of his life, and now he’s sharing what helps him do it with anyone who will listen. Whether you’re a lifelong Christian, someone wrestling with their faith, or just someone who appreciates exceptional storytelling through songwriting, Christian Name deserves to be experienced front to back, all the way through.
When it comes back to it, this album isn’t really about tragedy, but more so how you react when times get tough. It’s about processing grief, counting your blessings, and choosing to trust God even when the answers to your questions may not be clear right away. That’s a message that extends far beyond country music. It’s what makes Christian Name one of the most powerful records Charles Wesley Godwin has ever made, and a frontrunner for album of the year.
Christian Name Tracklist:
“Sermon”
“Try Again”
“Better That Way” ft. Luke Combs
“Hallelujah High”
“Hey There Son” ft. Wyatt Flores
“I Caught the Sunrise”
“Place I Know”
“Street Advice”
“Every Once in a While”
“Christian Name”
“God’s Been Good To Me”
“Gospel of the South”
“Brand New”
Christian Name is an album that will go down in history as some of Godwin’s best work, and one that I’m confident fans will be listening to, and finding inspiration in, for generations to come.
In the meantime, Godwin and his killer band The Allegheny High are in the midst of an extensive tour, providing plenty of opportunities to hear these songs live. Check out his tour dates below and get out there if they’re coming to a city near you.
Charles Wesley Godwin Tour Dates
Jul 28 – Nashville, TN – The Bluebird Cafe – In the Round with the Writers of Christian Name
Aug 4 – San Francisco, CA- Regency ^
Aug 6 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24^
Aug 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern^
Aug 8 – San Diego, CA – SOMA ^
Aug 13 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto!
Aug 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren!
Aug 20-21 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground!
Aug 22 – Toronto, ON – History!
Aug 27 – Oklahoma City, OK – Criterion!
Aug 28 – Lubbock, TX – Cook’s Garage+=
Aug 29 – New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheater+=
Sept 11 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six^
Sept 12 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner^
Sept 17 – Landmark Theatre – Syracuse, NY^
Sept 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Fillmore^
Sept 23 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center#
Sept 26 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle+=
Sept 29 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17+=
Sept 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena#
Oct 1 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater+=
Oct 2 – Asheville, NC – Hellbender+=
Oct 9 – North Charleston, SC – Riverfront Revival*
Oct 15 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre%
Oct 17 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House~
Oct 18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom~
Oct 21 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory^
Oct 22 – Seattle, WA – SoDo^
Oct 24 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theater^
Nov 5 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre$
Nov 6 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum>
Nov 7 – Cincinnati, OH – MegaCorp Pavilion$
Nov 12 – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed&
Nov 13 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside&
Nov 14 – St. Louis, MO – Factory&
Nov 20 – St. Petersburg, FL – St. Pete Country Fest*
*festival date
^w/ Lilly Fitts
!w/ Colby Acuff
+co-headline w/ Dylan Gossett
=w/ Max Alan
#supporting Kacey Musgraves
%w/ Michael Marcagi, Noeline Hofmann
~w/ Danno Simpson
$w/ Nicholas Jamerson
>w/ Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band, Nathan Bess
&w/ Tyler Nance
