MercyMe continues to evolve

MercyMe has come a long way since recording the Contemporary Christian smash "I Can Only Imagine" in 1999. The band's breakthrough tune, which became the best selling Christian single of all time, is a heavy song.

The track is about what it would be like to be in front of God in heaven. "I Can Only Imagine" crossed over and peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also became the first Christian single to reach double platinum status.

"Our fans just love that song," guitarist Michael Scheuchzer said. "There has been no stopping 'I Can Only Imagine,' which is awesome."

To MercyMe's credit, the band didn't try to replicate the track, which has sold more than five million copies and is the most played song in the history of Christian radio.

That's quite an accomplishment in the world of music since many recording artists are urged to recreate what worked. MercyMe has always moved on to tackle new terrain.

MercyMe's latest album, "Wonder & Awe," is yet another album that goes the other way. The collection of songs are joyful and unpredictable while the band jumps genres with country, funk and pop-rock. It's obvious the band is having a good time.

"We just keep rolling along," Scheuchzer said.

Nothing can stop Mercyme, which will perform Thursday at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse. The COVID pandemic couldn't even slow the band down. One of the group's finest songs, "Inhale (Exhale)," was written during lockdown.

The title track of the band's 13th album is a calming slice of Christian pop-rock.

"No chain can hold what's already free / so hold on to Jesus and breathe," vocalist Bart Millard sings.

"We had plenty of time to work on a record, and we took advantage of it," bassist Nathan Cochran said while calling from Knoxville. "We wrote 40 songs over that period and narrowed it down to what's on the record."

It's been 30 years since Millard formed the band in Edmond, Oklahoma. MercyMe, which also includes guitarist Barry Graul and drummer Robby Shaffer, still has it, even with all the miles on its odometer.

"We love what we do and we love to surprise our fans by not repeating ourselves," Cochran said.

No fans could have envisioned MercyMe taking a stab at disco a few years ago with the song "Brand New." Aficionados were taken aback when MercyMe tabbed Gloria Gaynor to add her familiar voice to the track.

"We decided we wanted to make this disco song," Cochran said. "We wanted it to be taken seriously. So we thought, ‘who could give our disco song legitimacy but Gloria Gaynor?’ We were thrilled how it turned out."

The band has no problem letting the world know about its faith. However, some similar bands such as needtobreathe and Switchfoot have plenty of religious imagery in their songs but don't wave the Christian flag.

"I don't begrudge anyone who has a different approach from us," Scheuchzer said. "I love needtobreathe's music. It's so apparent how much of the gospel is in their music. That's wonderful. But they're in more of the general market than we are. It's the same thing for Switchfoot. They write some amazing songs, but they go for the general market too. I get what they're doing. Some people are put off by Christianity. We're up front about who we are, and we're doing alright."

MercyMe has sold millions of albums, won eight Dove Awards and is one of the most successful Christian rock bands of all time.

"We're just ourselves in the studio and onstage," Scheuchzer said. "It's pretty simple. We write songs for ourselves and if other people like them, that's awesome. But if they don't, that's fine too. We do the best we can, and we get such great support from our fans."