Finding Hope in the Hurt: Brandon Heath’s ‘The Ache’ Reveals the Beauty of Brokenness

In his latest masterpiece, ‘The Ache’, five-time GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Brandon Heath masterfully weaves together the threads of loss, longing, and hope, creating a rich tapestry of sound that resonates deep within the soul. This poignant album, born out of hard-won experience and unwavering faith, holds the tension of life’s ache, yet points listeners to the things that matter most – family, faith, community, and the promise of life beyond the pain. With 11 originals that showcase Heath’s storytelling prowess, ‘The Ache’ is a powerful testament to the transformative beauty of brokenness, revealing that even in the darkest moments, life is still growing, still blooming, and still worthy of praise.

“Every record I release is a snapshot of the season I’m in, and I thought this was going to be a record about mourning,” Heath admits after watching his mom live out her final days. “But I’ve learned that two things can exist at the same time. You can talk about heavy things with a joyful spirit, and I have totally embraced paradox in this season. I knew there was going to be sadness, but I also knew there was going to be joy because I knew where my mom was going.”

The Ache features the steady acoustic-pop of album standout “Gospel Truth,” which sums up how Heath reconciles the heartbreaking realities of this life with what he knows to be true of God.

“It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve written in a long time,” he confesses of the track that reads like a personal mantra and is featured by The Recording Academy. “It just fits me so well, and it tells the story of who I am and what’s important to me.”

The album’s radio hit, “He Does (Oh By the Way),” is a cleverly penned, choir-assisted, celebratory reminder about God’s role as a consistent provider and faithful friend. Heath co-wrote the song with Kyle Williams (We Are Messengers, TobyMac), who produced the majority of The Ache along with songs produced by Micah Kuiper (Jeremy Camp, Anne Wilson), Cason Cooley (NEEDTOBREATHE, Ellie Holcomb) and Andrew Bergthold (We The Kingdom).

“I was just thinking about all the things that we forget the Lord covers,” Heath says of the celebratory reminder. “He fills our needs in wild abundance and lavishes His love on us in crazy ways. We often just miss it. So this song was my fun, upbeat way of saying, ‘Oh, by the way, God does all that – He does.’”

The Ache also features the bittersweet “The Other Side of the End” and the poignant, heaven-forward “Can We Go Home Now?” while the simplicity of his daughters’ innocent nighttime prayers shaped “Thank You. Need You. Love You.”

Listen:

Perhaps the intrinsic ache we all experience this side of heaven points us to the things that matter most. “It feels like a thing that God put in us. It’s this ability to feel connected to people,” remarks Heath, adding, “This has been my season of sorrow, but it helps me to engage with it just by writing about it. That’s what music has always done for me.”

The Ache track listing follows:

01) The Ache
02) He Does (Oh By the Way)
03) Thank You. Need You. Love You.
04) Gospel Truth
05) Scars
06) Highly Favored (feat. Ryan Ellis)
07) Can We Go Home Now
08) How To Apologize
09) Lucky
10) Neverland
11) The Other Side of the End