December 2002

Advent means beginning. It is the beginning of the year for the Church and the time we celebrate the birth of Our Lord. It is also a time for us to remember our own beginnings. Family is so very important in our lives and we must not forget our roots. Maybe that is why we have some of the greatest Marian feast days in December. With these we can remember the Blessed Mother in a special way and remember that she said yes to God and that we should follow her example.

Todd Sylvester talks about “the one who said 'yes' to the angel” in his song “Maria.” This song is on Sylvester’s new CD called Embrace The Faith. The song tells us that if we are close to Mary then she will guide us to her Son. The entire CD of “Embrace The Faith” is full of such inspirational songs. Sylvester has a sweet, gentle voice and a personal way of communicating Christ’s message through his songs. You can hear Todd’s love for Christ in “More Like You” (a song about us becoming an imitation of Jesus) and “We’ll Follow You”.  Anyone remember the old 80s T-shirts with the big letters that said “Choose Life?” Sylvester has taken that message and turned it into a decision to choose Eternal Life. I have to step back and tell you about the song “I’m Set Free.” The music is truly awesome in this tune with Sylvester’s voice singing along with a beautifully played mandolin. It’s impressive! It doesn’t stop there as Sylvester takes the creed we say every Sunday and transforms it into the song “Profession Of Faith.” Sing along, you know the words!  The title track of Embrace The Faith is almost a creed in itself. It tells of all our beliefs and truths as Catholics, from the Communion of Saints, to the Pope as Peter’s successor, to the greatest one of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood of Christ.  Todd Sylvester has made a CD that shows his love of God and the Catholic faith.

CatholicMusicNetwork.com also carries Todd Sylvester’s first CD called I Want To Live. You can see what the center of this CD is by literarily opening the inner lyric sleeve. There in big bold letters is J-E-S-U-S. “I Want To Live” has a different style than “Embrace The Faith.” It has a more jazz, funk, gospel sound on many of the songs, from the title track "I Wanna Live Right” to “Lover Of God,” to “Give Me My Heart Again.” Todd’s current style seems to come forth in “From Up Here” and “I’’ll Give You Myself.” One of my favorites on this CD is “Teach My Lord,” a song about St. Joseph. It tells of Joseph hearing the word of God and teaching Jesus how to be a man. St. Joseph had love for Jesus as a Son and as a Savior.

Karl Zimmerman’s CD Friend³ is a project about the great love God has for all of us and the love He calls us to have for each other.  The superscript "3" refers to our God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and you engineers out there can call it "Friends cubed" or "Friends to the third power."  The CD starts off with a beautiful song about God’s love for us called, “Love Of The Father.” It tells us that miracles happen everyday, some big while others are small. “Very Best Of Friends” is a country sounding song that talks about true friendship. It's about that friend who knows what you are thinking before you even say a word; the friend you want praying for you when you are in need.  The pop sounding “God is Good” tells us that “...it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, nothing separates you from the love of God’s own Son...”   It is His love that will not make us thirsty again, and this is what the song “Come To The Water” explains. One of the best surprises on the CD is “I Belong To You.” This is sung by Zimmerman‘s wife Lisa. Her voice is wonderful in this song about glorifying the Lord. (I would have loved to have heard her on a few other tracks.) Zimmerman does do a incredible cover of the John Michael Talbot song “I Am The Bread Of Life”.  The music of Friends³ is a mix of songs that Karl Zimmerman plays at the St. Clement Life Teen Mass in St. Louis. A great collection of praise songs.

At age 17, Rachael Lampa's list of accomplishments is longer than that of some artists twice her age. She has been recognized for her talent by those in both the Christian and mainstream media with many accolades, awards and appearances. She was recently recognized for her talents by the makers of the film, “A Walk To Remember,” who included her on the soundtrack along side sound-alike Mandy Moore. Her latest album, Kaleidoscope, proves conclusively that her previous successes was no flash in the pan. Original pop tunes with a strong dose of R&B make the songs cover the whole Kaleidoscope of life as experienced by a young person, and offers intensely personal, God-directed lyrics.   The fact that Lampa co-wrote five of the songs gives a rather personal slant to the album, and makes it easy for listeners to identify with her. It's personal, challenging, but always with a joyous buoyancy that leaves you excited about your faith. From the first song, "Savior Song," with its upbeat, almost-urban feel to the stunning expression of "No Greater Love," Lampa proves that she is more than just a teen pop sensation, but a talented artist with a bright future.  On "No Greater Love," Lampa's passion and heart come through in her incredible vocals on this song. "Beautiful” combines a great "jazzy" feel with some wonderful piano and guitar work.  “I’m All Yours” is a pop song of pure dedication to Christ. It is a love song for Jesus. You can’t help moving to the music on this one. "Sanctuary" has some wonderful musical touches, rock-solid rhythms and powerful, spiritual lyrics. “Brand New Life” is a song of praise that the CD title comes from. With a new look at life after giving your life over to God “...it’s like looking thru a kaleidoscope, I see Heaven where I go...”  “A Song For You” was co-written with Cindy Morgan at the piano from lyrics that Lampa wrote at age 11 after hearing that her father was ill. "When my dad got sick, I was in the fifth grade and all about my friends. I just realized how much I needed my family, how much we needed each other. Every night, we'd all get together and just pray together. It was a powerful time for my family."  Kaleidoscope has the "teen pop" sound that we expect from Rachel Lampa but is diverse enough to appeal to a wide audience. Anyone shopping for a young person for Christmas should check out this CD. The love of God shines through each song.

Christmas Music Spotlight
While we are talking young girl singers, settle down to the sounds of the holidays with the captivating voice of 14 year old Angelina. Angelina has a voice that sounds like it should be with the heavenly host that proclaims the birth of Our Lord to the shepherds who are watching their flock by night. It is fitting that My Gift To You, her newest CD, contains Angelina's favorite Christmas selections. Beautiful music from some of the best musicians in the industry accompanies Angelina. Mel Torme's "Christmas Song" is one of the best examples of this. The awesome saxophone almost sings itself, but mix George Mason's guitar with Angelina's vocals and you have a rebirth of this classic. Giovanni Dechario, on Classical guitar, assists in giving "Silent Night" that sound that with Angelina's help will almost put you at Christ's birth in Bethlehem. Other songs on the CD include "Little Drummer Boy," "Do You Hear What I Hear," Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," White Christmas," Kenny Loggin's classic Christmas song "Celebrate Me Home," and much more.
My Gift To You is a CD for all who love Christmas and the music that goes along with the season.