|
April 2005
One Lew Doty has produced a wonderful collection of twelve songs about faith in God and trusting the divine in yourself. The divine takes many forms on this CD (from a song based on The Lord’s Prayer to a number about Buddhism), but always offers acceptance, guidance, and joy. This exceptionally well-produced CD features Doty’s deep, smooth, full voice, and his own original work. In a straight-ahead folk rock style, the songs range from very upbeat tunes to ballads; they all rely heavily on acoustic guitar and percussion. Doty’s lyrics range from profound to affirming, and are bound to inspire. Word of Mouth Pegasus Project is a group of six very diverse musicians, led by keyboard player Franklin Spicer and guitarist and singer Valerie Ford—who together, also wrote seven of the nine tunes on this CD. The songs embrace a view of global healing and spiritual community, and are presented in an eclectic mix of styles, which include reggae, R&B, and pop. They feature various guitars, percussion, keyboards, saxophone, and mandolin. The CD starts out with the driving, percussive “Pachamama.” Ford sings on most of the other numbers, and has a soulful voice that can handle both slow torch songs like “Eyes of Love,” and the quicker rhythms of “One People.” Other songs are goosed-up versions of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and John Lennon’s great anthem, “Imagine.” They fit right in with the hopeful theme of the collection, and the Pegasus Project brings a fresh interpretation to both of these oldies but goodies.
Boy choirs are a very old tradition in England—a tradition that is still very much alive in the Anglican Church. Libera, a group of twenty-four boys from London, has taken that choral tradition out of the church and into the mainstream. They bring a bright, balanced, ethereal sound to this CD of spiritual songs that fuse elements of the Anglican choral tradition with older chant singing and New Age musical styles. The boys sing several original songs (written by their director, Robert Prizeman), and revisit some traditional choral works by Sibelius and Holst. The singing is generally accompanied by electronic keyboards, harp, violin, and clarinet. The lyrics affirm the pervasiveness of God in our lives and the beauty and serenity of opening oneself to God. Short passages in Latin followed by the English lyrics illustrate the unbroken thread of spiritual song that has nurtured humanitiy for thousands of years. Jennifer Cutting Jennifer Cutting has assembled an all-star cast to perform a collage of traditional and modern Celtic music. Fiddles, pipes, accordion, drums, and other traditional Irish instruments are joined by soaring soprano vocals, electronic instruments, and a variety of classical string instruments—plus the ever-present sounds of the sea—in expressing themes of freedom, loss, and transformation. The vocals feature Grace Griffith, who has the clear, bright voice we associate with Celtic music. There are also guest appearances by Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span and other musicians who led the revival of popular Celtic music in the 1970s (plus a brief number from the Bulgarian women’s chorus, Slaveya!). Half the songs on the CD are original tunes by Cutting and half are traditional Irish tunes. They range from Irish reels and jigs to haunting tunes about spiritual alchemy and the power of longing. The mystical quality of Celtic music lends itself nicely to the theme, for a very satisfying listening journey. —Beth Adelman
|
 |
Visit Media Review archivesTo
read further, pick up your copy of Science of Mind Magazine United
Church of Religious Science Web Design
and Graphics Copyright © 2003
Marty Bunch Art Originals
|
