Country singer-songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin’s new album, Christian Name, was shaped by the stillbirth of his son Samuel in August 2024, an event he says fundamentally changed him. The record matters as a deeply personal account of grief, faith and gradual healing, created after songs he had written for another project no longer reflected what he needed to express.

The album is released on 24 July and contains 13 tracks, including an opening sermon by preacher Dave Stacy; only the title song was written before Samuel’s death. Godwin wrote the remaining songs with collaborators including Stephen Wilson Jr., Aaron Raitiere, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, and recorded the album gradually over nearly a year in Oregon, New York, Nashville and Pennsylvania. He describes the writing and recording process as cathartic and therapeutic, while stressing that he still experiences difficult moments of grief.