http://soundcloud.com/blessidunionofsouls When asked how he was for a Monday, Eliot Sloan unashamedly answers, “Better than I deserve.” Taking a look at his life, it’s easy to see why the good times seem to be abundant. The lead singer of the uber-successful Blessid Union of Souls is home in Cincinatti watching his kids grow up (they’re 23, 19, 5, and 1!) and making music. In fact, he’s just revisited the tracks recorded only weeks ago for a new project that takes the faith that has always been woven into his music and places it front and center. CCM chatted with Eliot to get the details on it all! CCM: Your music has always incorporated elements of faith (“I Believe,” for example). But this latest venture is unapologetically Christian music. Why this transition now? Eliot: Well, like you said, our music always leaned in that direction, but this is more direct. I think with life happening—getting older, being married, having kids— reality starts setting in and you start to look at what’s real and what’s not. A lot of the music that we’ve done before has made a difference with people but I want to make a more direct difference. I want to tell them about Christ. CCM: Has faith always been a part of your life? Eliot: I’ve been going to church all my life. Nora, my grandmother and my mother had me in church way back when, but I really got saved when I was 19. A guy that I went to school with wanted me to go to his church… and I wanted to be 17… But the more I went, the more I felt convicted. I eventually got saved right out of high school. CCM: What are the biggest differences between the audiences you’re playing to now and those that you played to with your secular material? Eliot: There’s a lot of differences as far as your audience and where you’re playing, things like that. We’ll probably play at more churches than clubs, but in some sense, that’s where the mission field is. Jesus went where the sinners were. Since we have a fan base already, I’m hoping that people will take a listen to some of it, but sometimes you have to go and get ‘em… My whole goal is to point as many people as possible not to me, but to Christ and tell people, “You listened and loved our music before, but I want to point you to the source of it all.” Eliot Sloan from BlESSid Union of SoUlS Your guide to the newest happenings in Christian musiC By Caroline Lusk What’s NeW Click here for an exclusive download of Eliot’s original, “I Still Believe in Love.” And click here to listen to the as-yet untitled latest studio effort from the group! more 12 CCM