Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus is the sixteenth studio album by the Christian rock band Petra, released on February 18, 1997 by Word Records.
Petra Praise 2 is the second praise album and follow up to 1989's Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out. The album was released amidst some major line-up changes in the band, and it features contributions of several musicians. It's the first album to feature Lonnie Chapin on bass guitar, who would become the band's full-time bassist until 2001.
The music is a mixture of traditional and original praise songs with a rock style. It is considered to be more diverse musically than the band's first, straight forward hard rock, praise album. Most of the original songs were penned by band founder Bob Hartman, except for the song "Song of Moses," which was written by former Petra keyboardist Jim Cooper and former White Heart guitarist Brian Wooten. The title song is originally a cover from a 1991 various artists album Portrait of a Spirit featuring artists that were on the Pakaderm label that John and Dino Elefante were running.
This new version of "We Need Jesus" features vocals by Petra lead singer John Schlitt, album co-producer and fellow CCM singer John Elefante and Lou Gramm, lead singer of the rock band Foreigner. Petra Praise 2 peaked at number 2 on the Top Christian Albums and number 155 on the Top 200 Albums charts in Billboard magazine. Petra was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album at the 40th Grammy Awards and won a Dove Award for Praise and Worship Album of the Year at the 29th GMA Dove Awards.
Track listing
1. Song of Moses -Rev. 15: 3, 4 (Jim Cooper, Brian Wooten) -4:16
2. Lord, I Lift Your Name On High (Rick Founds) -3:02
3. Be of Good Cheer (Bob Hartman) -3:54
4. Show Your Power (Kevin Prosch) -4:11
5. I Love You Lord (Laurie Klein) -3:53
6. The Holiest Name (Bob Hartman) -3:36
7. Let Our Voices Rise Like Incense (Linda Whitmer-Bell) -2:28
8. Ancient of Days (Gary Sadler, Jamie Harvill) -3:51
9. I Waited For The Lord on High (Bill Batstone) -2:46
10. Lovely Lord (Bob Hartman) -4:26
11. Medley: Only By Grace/To Him Who Sits on the Throne/You Are Holy
(Gerrit Gustafson/Debbye Graafsma/Scott Wesley Brown) -5:59
12. We Need Jesus (John Elefante, Dino Elefante, Scott Springer) -4:02
Personnel
Petra:
Bob Hartman -lead guitar on all tracks
David Linchens - guitar
John Schlitt -lead vocals
Lonnie Chapin -bass guitar, backing vocals
Louie Weaver -drums
Accolades
Dove Award -Praise and Worship Album of the Year (Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus)
Radio singles
"We Need Jesus" -#6 Christian CHR, #5 Christian AC
"The Holiest Name" -#11 Christian CHR, #25 Christian AC
"Lord, I Lift Your Name On High" -#13 Christian CHR, #35 Christian AC
Next release: God Fixation (1998)
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