Having His Say
Matthew West’s latest CD, Something to Say, released in January.

Christian singer Matthew West still doesn’t quite know why his voice was silenced. He knows that overuse damaged his vocal chords, requiring surgery and several months of quiet that doctors hoped would allow him to sing again.

What he doesn’t know is what purpose God had for the ordeal, except to remind him of the true source of his singing ability.

“A couple of months before I started having this problem with my voice, I felt inspired to call the album Something to Say … inspired by the message that, no matter where you’ve been or who you are, you have something to say,” says West, who has been given a clean bill of health.

“So when I went in to the doctor and he said, you have nothing to say ... [the album took on] new meaning for me. It reminds me that I need Him to help me because apart from Him, I’m nothing more than a singer who has some damaged vocal chords. It’s God and God alone that allows me to go on stage and sing.”