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Fernando Ortega needs a break from the madness. With him, everything is nonstop busyness. You'd be hard-pressed to glean any of this from his music—a beacon of inspiration and reverence amidst Christian music's positive-hits blatancy—but the troubadour is quick to admit he too needs to make time for peace and meditation. As a matter of fact, his latest album, The Shadow of Your Wings (Curb), is a reflection of his quest to "be still and know" in the face of life's distractions. In this conversation with Christian Music Today, Ortega talks about the new album and relates some of these struggles, his thoughts on liturgy, and what he thinks of worship in the contemporary church.

In 2004, you released a self-titled album that sounded like nothing you had done before. Would you say that was an experiment of sorts?

Fernando Ortega No, I don't think I would say that. For me, I guess it was an experiment, but with not a lot of pre-thought—"if this doesn't work, I'll go back to what I do best." My voice is a mellow-sounding voice, so I wanted to hear what it would sound like if it was pushed a little bit in range. Some songs on that record have a higher range. But I really had no idea what this next record would be like. I didn't have a premeditated plan about it.

The new album is a return to the signature "Fernando sound." Do you mind being categorized as an inspirational artist?

Ortega First of all, I don't think the new album is what you would consider a signature sound. [For example] this is the first time I used a string quartet. This album is much more classical-sounding than anything I've ever done before. For me, this was a bit of a departure from previous records, although the consistent element is piano. And I hadn't really done a record since 1992, I think, that was just piano—hymns and meditations. So to me, I really wasn't going "back" to something I've done my whole career.

I think there are some drawbacks when you classify me as a mellow songster in that people assume [things] before they hear it—if they're into more energetic music, they may write it off before they ever get a chance to hear it. But I wish it wasn't always categorized that way. Let me go on to say that I have no regrets about recording this record or anything like that.

After an entire career working with producer John Andrew Schreiner, you decided to work with someone else. Was that a conscious decision on your part?

Ortega This is my 13th record. I did 10 records with John, and then did this one with Gary Paczosa. That was the biggest departure for me, trying a different producer—I actually co-produced with him, which is also a big step out for me, because I've never tried to produce something before. But yeah, it was a conscious effort. I definitely was something that I thought through very carefully. John, my producer for all those years, ended up arranging strings on this record, so his signature is still on there.

What did Gary bring to the table?

Ortega He's somewhat of a known entity. He's not known as a producer as much as an engineer. He has engineered records for Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek, the Dixie Chicks. He's won nine Grammys. He's a big shotgun [in the studio]. I'm familiar with his sound and how he mikes things—his sensibility. I wanted it to sound as if somebody's sitting at the piano in a large room in their home while being surrounded by a string quartet. I wanted it to sound that intimate because I wanted it to be a devotional record.

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