This Lent experience special blessings through the devotion of Mary's Way of the Cross sung by Angelina.  The teenage singer narrates a dramatic version of the Stations of the Cross from the perspective Jesus' mother and our mother Mary. Angelina says, “If we accept our cross and carry it the way He did, without hesitation we unite our suffering with His which allows us to empty ourselves of the pain and suffering that come from sin. The more we empty the sin from our lives Jesus replaces it with His love. Mary’s heart is what our hearts should have been if there had been no original sin. Mary should be our model. She stood by her son during his entire passion and throughout her faith experienced the joy of the resurrection." Mary's Way of the Cross enables the listener to enter into an intimate journey of faith through a deep reflection that will unite one's pain and suffering with Jesus on the cross through the sorrowful heart of Mary. Angelina’s beautiful voice helps lead you on this journey. It is still beyond me how this teenage girl has a voice that is so professional and gifted. She sounds better than many seasoned talents on the market today.  Angelina not only carries us though the complete stations but also adds songs that help echo the mood of the CD. The song “Mary Did You Know?” has always been sung at Christmas, but if you listen to the words it can be used during Lent very easy. The surprise on the CD would be her take on the classic Beatles song "Let It Be”. Angelina takes the Lennon/ McCartney tune and gives it a new flavor, blending her voice with an almost Celtic sounding violin. Mary's Way of the Cross is a CD that can be used all year round. It will help renew your faith in knowing that God is there in all your moments of pain, pleasure, sickness and anxiety. Angelina says it best at the end of the CD “In You O Lord I place my hope, I shall never be confounded.” 

Knowing that God is there is a theme that Sean Clive uses in his recently released debut album, Tuning Up. Blending contemporary acoustic and liturgical music, Sean evokes a tangible expression of the power of God’s love. His original acoustic songs as well as his covers of contemporary Christian composers reveal the healing and awe-inspiring presence of God amidst simple joys and tragic circumstances. His album includes a special tribute to his mother, Linda, who died of breast cancer in 1997. She was a source of inspiration for both his singing and his faith. The song, ”It Takes a Little Rain,” speaks of how in order to appreciate the “sun” or joy in life, we must also experience the “rain” or sadness that life brings. Clive’s “October Sun” deals with the awesome handiwork God does with all things, from the tiniest leaf to the highest mountain. God is a true artist. We can see how God loves us in all things, and this is echoed in the song, “I’ll Always Love You.” If we are hurting then He will heal us with His Son’s love. Tuning Up is an awesome collection of songs of inspiration.

Inspiration is the key word on the new CD With You by Bernie Choiniere. Starting off with the fast pace song of praise “Salvation Is Yours”, and continuing with “Teach Me Your Ways,” “I’ll Be Your Child”  and “Emmanuel,”  this CD doesn’t miss a beat.  Songs like “Bless The Lord” show what kind of diversity Choiniere can achieve. This song has every thing from reggae, to Gospel, to jazz and a little rock thrown in for good measure. Choiniere also can slow it down and be humble as on “Misting Over Me.”  It is a beautiful song that shows the Divine Mercy that Jesus has toward us.  The title track “With You” is a true love song. It’s a love song to the King of Heaven. “With You Lord I feel alive…”  If you have been waiting for a new CD from Bernie Choiniere after his last awesome CD RSVP, then With You will not disappoint.

What impressed me the most about the new CD by Lynn Cooper called, To You Alone, is how her songwriting has improved with each CD. I have enjoyed Cooper since the days of On His Wings.  Her writing and vocals have always been good, but To You Alone is a gallery of all her talents. A theme that seems to run through most of the CD is that we are all servants called by God as he sends his Spirit down to renew us. This is seen in songs like “Come To The Water,”  “Fishers of Men,”  “Send Your Spirit Down” and even the title track “To You Alone.” There are songs of praise as well, with the tunes “Great Are You Lord,” “You Are My God” and “The Lamb Of God.” There is even a great cover of the contemporary classic “You Are Mine” by David Haas. The song that impressed me the most from Cooper is “Such A Time As This.”  With wars and rumors of wars going on this is a timely song. “We are ordinary people in an unordinary time…In a place we never dreamed we would be...Yet by God’s design we live in this certain place and time…. Shaken from our slumber, passions stirred. We’re bruised but not defeated… Our suffering is our strength, while remembering God’s the same as yesterday.”   To break the solemn mode, Cooper pays homage to the old song made popular by 3 Dog Night, “Joy To The World” (many may remember it as "Jeremiah was a bullfrog".)  Cooper takes the song and changes lyrics to talk of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. (I wonder if Nick Alexander has heard this one?) Also, very noteworthy is Lynn Cooper’s version of “The Lord’s Prayer.”  To You Alone is a CD not to be missed.

Remember that famous line from St. Augustine, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee?”  How about the prayer of St. Gertrude for the Holy Souls in Purgatory? St. Francis of Assisi's praise of God for "Brother Sun and Sister Moon?” These are only a few of the prayers Donna Cori Gibson has called forth from the rich treasury of devotion of Catholic saints for her newest album, Prayers of the Great Saints.  This CD is a splendid way to memorize the great prayers of those whose have set an excellent example for us. Gibson uses her beautiful voice and songwriting talent to mold the classic prayers into the soft rock  gems that they are. Other saints that are covered include St. Basil ("Pour Your Love On Me"), St. Patrick ("Breastplate"), St. Teresa of Avila ("Bookmark"), St. Francis de Sales ("Thy Will Be Done"), St. Therese of Lisieux ("Only Today") and many more. There are so many prayers of saints out there I hope Gibson will one day do a sequel to this thrilling collection of songs, Prayers of the Great Saints.
“Praying with the 'great saints' teaches us how to pray, what to ask for, the disposition of the heart, etc., by their example. But, we can't stop there,” says Donna Cori Gibson. “These people got up early for prayer, went to Mass very often, grew in humility and  charity, and were silent most of the time that, when they did speak, their words were profound and worth listening to. I hope that someday, our nature responding to grace, we shall all be great saints.”