Christian singer Anne Wilson acknowledges that a song with “whiskey” in the title may cause some of her fans to pause and wonder if she’s compromising her beliefs. To that, Wilson responds: Listen to it.
The tune, Songs about Whiskey, is featured on Wilson’s new album Rebel, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Album chart and No. 10 on the Top Country Album chart. The music video depicts Wilson performing it in a bar. The song opened at No. 30 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs Chart.
“I’ve had some fans reach out already and be like, ‘Okay, now, that kind of worries me like, have you gone off the deep end? Have you left God behind?’ And I’m like, ‘Just wait and listen to the song and then come back to me,’” she told Crosswalk Headlines.
In truth, Songs about Whiskey is a whimsical reflection on the themes often found in country music, highlighting how many country songs focus on alcohol. In contrast, Wilson’s blend of country and Christian places a spotlight on Jesus. The chorus declares: “I’ve heard songs about Jack Daniel’s / songs about Jim Beam / heard songs about one-night regrets / neon and nicotine. I guess I’m just kinda fixed on / the only thing that’s ever fixed me / that’s why I sing songs about Jesus / instead of singing songs about whiskey.”
“I’ve performed it at a bar, and I’ve performed it at a church -- and it’s the same response in both scenarios,” Wilson told Crosswalk Headlines. “And I love it. ... It’s something brash -- it’s like, what do I write songs about? It’s the things that I love, and in my life, it’s my faith and my family. I think it’s a fresh perspective on a song about whiskey that really hasn’t ever been written before. And it’s so fun.”
Wilson won Female Artist of the Year at this year’s K-Love Fan Awards. That came after she was nominated for a CMT Music Award in the Breakthrough Female Video of the Year category for her song Rain In The Rearview.
Her music is crossing over into mainstream country music, but Wilson says her beliefs are not changing.
“I do this for Jesus and His glory,” she said. “... I have an incredible family who keeps me humble and grounded.”
Photo Credit: ©Josiah Weiss for K-LOVE Fan Awards
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.