 |
|
|
Fall 2007:
Ceili Rain,
John Angotti, Alma
DeRojas, Kristin Fisher |
|
Summer 2007: Popple, Chris Padgett, Kitty
Cleveland, Last Day |
|
Spring 2007: Popple, Chris Padgett, Kitty
Cleveland, Last Day |
Winter
2006: Catholic Music 2007, Amanda
Vernon, Marie Bellet, Mair Rathburn,
Bethany Music Ministry, Celeste Zepponi |
|
October 2006: Nick Alexander, Gretchen Harris, Steve
Angrisano |
|
Aug/ Sept 2006: Matt Maher, John Paul II
Tribute, Chris Padgett, John Michael Talbot, Fr. Stan
Fortuna |
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 2003
The Holy Father asked that we
make 2003, the
Year of the Holy Rosary. What a wonderful and
prefect prayer it is. In it we honor Mary by meditating on
many events that happened in her and Our Lord’s life. When
we honor Mary we are pleasing the Holy Trinity. It was God
the Father who intervened in the Immaculate Conception. It was the
Son who was born of the Blessed Virgin. The Holy Spirit came
and took her as His spouse.
 Many
Catholic artists are producing Rosary CDs to help us
with this perfect devotion. One that will be talked about
for years to come is the new CD by Catholic singer
Simonetta. She has teamed up with popular Catholic TV
priest Fr. Benedict Groeschel to make a double CD
titled
The
Rosary Is a Place. This is a
magnificent CD that will stir your soul with the love of God
that pours through every word and musical note. Before I
even listened to the CD I was blown away by the artwork on
the package. It has my vote for best CD package of the year!
From the very first, Fr. Groeschel invites us to take a
journey to pray the Rosary in that private chapel we have in
our hearts. We can do this even in the busiest times of our
life. That "invisible" chapel can be accessed while
driving, eating lunch, washing dishes, going to bed, or even
as I recently did, seeing the doctor. (It kept my heart rate
down!) Simonetta’s beautiful voice flows with the music that
is within each mystery. Her lyrics help compliment the
sequence of prayers and music. “I can’t do it alone… But I
can do it with You.” Fr. Groeschel’s insight into Scripture is
also used on each mystery. I figured out that the reason
this CD is so special is that it was recorded in the
presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament at King’s
House of Retreats in Magnolia, IL.
The
Rosary is a Place is a CD that should be in
every Catholics collection.
Continuing to honor Our Blessed Mother is
the CD
Blue
Of The Flame: The Way Of Mary. This is a
beautiful collection of Ave Maria arrangements and
devotional music honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary sung by
Natalie Campbell. These are the tributes of writers and
composers from across centuries and cultures: Caccini,
Schubert, Puccini, Rachmaninoff, among others. Campbell's
rich and versatile voice embodies the divine messages of
poets, monks and scripture, bringing
 Mary
forth to embrace us and to be embraced. The CD starts off
with the beautiful classical string version of “Ave Maria”
mixed with the operatic vocals of Campbell. It is indeed
spiritually moving as are the other versions of the “Ave
Maria" that are available on this CD. “The Annunciation to
Mary” almost comes across as a Windham Hill piece. The
stunning piano and classical vocal mix is astounding. The
lyrics about the angel appearing to Mary will touch your
heart. This was written by Russell Walden. Walden’s other
pieces that stand out on this CD are “Ave Virgo Gloriosa”
and the CD’s title track “The Way of Mary.” “The Way of
Mary” let’s us know that there are many paths to God, but
“the way of Mary is the sweetest and gentlest of all.”
Shadrach Weathersby has released a CD
called
To
Behold the Light. It also honors Mary while
centering our life on the life of Jesus.
 In
the song entitled “Mary,” Weathersby sings about her feelings
of joy and apprehension as Our Lady takes in just what she
has agreed to do for God and mankind. Weathersby has a gentle voice that plays
well with his acoustic style of music. He is also a
wonderfully talented guitar player. “This Holy Night”
continues with the life of Jesus in song as we learn of His
birth. The title track, “To Behold the Light” is about the
faith that God’s people had in Him, that he would deliver
the Savior to save them from sin. The blend of flute and
guitar on this song is awesome. Another song that stands out
on the CD is “Capernaum.” Starting out in an unorthodox
fashion of a yelling crowd, it tells of Jesus the healer.
Weathersby makes this a ballad, telling a story more that
singing. This works well because you almost feel like you
are among the crowd. Another touching track is “Gethsemane”
which brings you into the garden as Jesus prayed. It mixes
music with sacred scripture and it works great. Other songs
include Christ’s crucifixion ("The Anvil Will
Cry") and
Pentecost ("Breath On Me") and many more.
Jesus
on The Highway
is the new CD by singer Peter Crosa. Crosa has a
light rock sound with a positive message that Jesus is
always there for us. Life is a highway and Jesus is there
through each storm with headlights bearing down on us,
telling us to stay the course. The title comes from the song
“Jesus On The Mountain” in which Crosa ask Our Lord to help
guide us and give us hope on our journey. Giving the CD a
little jazzy side is the tune “Shepherd,“ which takes the
popular 23rd Psalm and places it in an almost
fun setting. It is the message of the Lord with us, but during the song
Crosa fades in children’s songs "Ring Around
the Rosie” and “Jesus Loves Me.” It really is quite
brilliant. I was also impressed with the salsa feel of “You
Rescued Me.” The Latin style riffs tell of the Savior
pulling us back and converting our way. How do you deal with
life's problems is the question answered in “I Call
Jesus.” This awesome arrangement incorporates the Apostles
Creed. “Stand On The Rock” is a great call to worship with every word speaking the truth
about how we should
live each day. We have to have a firm foundation in our life! I
truly loved “We’ll Remember.” It is a love song about the True
Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is in the Mass that
we remember how much He loves us! Crosa has made one of
those CDs that just keeps getting better with each listen.
Jesus
On The Highway has such a variety of musical
styles it proves what a talent Crosa has. If you like the
music by Catholic artists like Greg Walton, Mark Mallet, or
Greg
Magirescu then pick up this CD!
 One
of our most popular Catholic artist is Michael John Poirier.
His CDs have always hit home with a theme that will touch
your heart. From "Holy Hour", to "Ocean of
Mercy", to "Lullabies
for Children", Poirier’s sweet, gentle vocals and acoustic
sounds have a point. This time it’s post-abortion. The CD is
called
Healing
After The Choice. Poirier says, "From the
fall of Adam and Eve to the present, God has given all of us
the opportunity to choose, and wants for us to, above all,
choose love. This CD is for all who need healing for choices
made, the choices that separate us from God’s infinite love
and mercy. It is especially appropriate for those men and
women who are suffering after the heartbreak of abortion.”
Healing
After The Choice is really a collection of songs of healing from Poirier’s
earlier CDs. They have
been placed together not as a "best of" collection, but has
a "healing" collection. These 17 songs include “Let The
Healing Begin,” “Heal Me,” “Ocean Of Mercy,” “Break The
Chains,” “Forgiven,” “Willing,” and many more. If you know
anyone who needs healing after making a choice they regret,
then this CD is for them.
 |
|
|