July  2003

Looking for something to do in August? There's a great Catholic concert in Salem, Massachusetts, featuring many artists from CatholicMusicNetwork.com. One of the top headliners, Ceili Rain, is also one of this newest additions to this site. The band's name gives the listener a big hint on what their music is like. "Ceili," is a Gaelic word meaning "a party with lively music and dancing," kind of like an Irish square dance. There's also a Latin word "Coeli" that means Heaven. Rain symbolizes that all of this good stuff comes down to us from the Heavens above.

The title of their latest CD is No You - No Me. There are twelve songs on the album and all of them have a Celtic Rock flavor. Lead singer Bob Halligan calls it, "Celtic music for a pop/rock palate."  This fits perfectly with the song, “Forty Shades of Green.” It’s about the conflict in Ireland. It talks about it not being wrong to have either English or Irish pride, but “how about ‘I’m on your side’.” The song has a mixed sound of AC/DC and U2. The Celtic pride shines also in the song  “A Hundred Smiles An Hour” as it opens with bagpipes, drums and it goes on for about a minute, before this feel good song take off and gets you into dancing a jig yourself.  “I Love You Always Works,” is about how reaching out in love to others can build walls of support, trust and spiritual connectedness that last, creating lives and situations that benefit everyone and please the Lord.  It’s an energetic song to encourage people of faith and it has an easy rock beat with a lively Celtic tune, expressive vocals, with nice harmony. “There's a buzz across this nation, you can feel it shake the walls, like Jimmy Stewart when he yells, Hello, Bedford Falls! People want to reach each other, build up trust brick by brick, the right stones and the right mortar will make it stick….”  Taking almost a new country sound mixed with Celtic is “House Not Made With Hands,” telling us to look forward to getting to Heaven. The fiddle and guitar solo are really worth the listen on this one.  The title track “No You – No Me,” is a haunting song about people being at odds with each other. Johnny leaves Bridget only to find God and goes back home to her.  The ballad, “Queen For a Day”  is about not having anything, but an active imagination to get beyond a young girl’s hard troubles in her life. With stirring arrangement of piano, Irish flute, violin, strings, interesting Celtic rhythms, she does her best to keep her chin up, hang onto her hope, and keep faith in her heart.  Bob Halligan says, "The most important thing about Ceili Rain is that our music celebrates life. This music strikes a deep chord in people because it derives from a collective yearning people have for God, for spirituality, for home, for togetherness. These songs are written to be inclusive and inviting--anyone who wants some joy out of life is apt to like them. We are not here to serve a particular group of people. The joy, laughter and sense of fellowship that's felt at our shows is geared to everyone--all are welcome in this place.  No You - No Me is a great way to start listening to this band.

CatholicMusicNetwork.com also carries Ceili Rain’s second CD called Erasers On Pencils.  It’s a collection of uplifting, snappy, and poignant songs testifying to the power and love of the Lord, His goodness, faithfulness.  Each track in some way reminds us that it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that can love one another as Jesus loved us, spreading the Lord's love to those who need it, who in turn may find joy and peace in the Lord.

You'll be tickled pink with the new CD by Marie Bellet. It is called Lighten Up and it's just the ticket for when you are burnt out on the busyness and self-importance of this fast paced life. Marie is known for music that combines familiar detail and a gentle sense of humor to sing of the everyday life of a mother and wife striving for holiness in the modern world. Lighten Up is a collection of story songs with radically honest reflections that urge us to forgive and to see the humor, the beauty and the sacred in those who fill our everyday lives. Marie has added a little more bluegrass feel to this CD than her previous two. It works well, as it gives a carefree feel to the humorous tunes and a family feel to the serious ones. The title track is a fun-tempo song, about getting run down by all the things we have no control over. Basically, Bellet is telling us to get over it; the baby is going to throw the Cheerios and those clothes don’t fold themselves. Have faith!  In a like manner is the song “Mother, You Are Worried.” It a song from a child’s point of view telling mom that she has way to many things planned for them to do and to slow down and "just play" with them. Soccer can wait and the time in the car wastes half the day anyway. I know too many parents that are like this. The touching song “One More Soul” is the tale of a young couple that gets married and wants to have a child. Time goes on and they grow apart and just as they think it’s the end, God gives them a surprise; “One More Soul.”  It’s the unplanned things in life that are sometimes the best. One song that I loved was the tune “He Is Daddy.” This is a love song from a wife for the man who has to give up all for his family…”I knew him back when his manners were mild, when his car was still clean and his clothes were in style…” Another love song would be “I Have Watched You.” It’s a song from a Father, God the Father. He has watched us and has counted every hair on our head. If you have ever seen the movie “The Princess Bride" then “As You Wish” should come as no surprise as a song of love and forgiveness. It's a dialogue between God and Bellet and you know when they say “As You Wish” they are really saying I love you.  Lighten Up is just a great feel good CD that can be enjoyed by every member of the family. 

Be prepared to be in awe by the new CD by German artist Jonsong. Called Spark Of Hope, it is a beautiful collection of songs that proclaims the light that shines in the darkness, a light that will not be over come.  Jonsong is actually one man, Jonathan Klemme.  This singer/ songwriter has been a student of music for years, studying pieces from the Renaissance period up to J.S. Bach and world music. It shows in his quite ambient style that is reminiscent of Delerium, Brian Eno, and even Sting. Klemme’s vocal styles are similar to those of popular artist Robert Wyatt or the late Nick Drake (the Volkswagon commercial singer). Jonsong starts the light of the fire with the stunning song “Ember,” letting us know that even in the ashes of our life God is still there for us. There is an awesome acoustic guitar that helps bring us closer to understanding the “Book Of Wisdom.” Jonsong uses the Bible’s own allegorical comments in referring to Widom in the feminine sense.  Her advice is to tune our radio towards God's broadcast.  I couldn’t help but think of the old 80’s song called “Don’t Pay The Ferryman” when I heard Jonsong own “Ferryman.” But this is not a song about death-longing like the older one, it's a song about the deep desire to start living. Sin separates us from the source of life, and living the present life is never entirely without sin. The song states we must purge this sin from our life if we are to be whole.  As this song ends we hears ocean waves that fade into the next song, “Secret Operations.” It is not as much a song as a prayer that is followed by a long session of ethnic drums, taken over by cellos on warm sound-pads, ending with a gently played piano. It is a nice meditative melody.  The title track, "Spark Of Life" tells us that if we make sure that God is still in our life no matter how bad we are beaten down, He will pick us up.  “He will strengthen that which was weak. Come to Him all you that labor and are burdened, he will refresh you...” Klemme also takes the words of his patron saint, St. John Of The Cross, in the song "The Dark Night Of The Soul," which he interprets with his own words. Basically it's a love story... about the crazy things God does to bring us back to his heart. It's also about the purification which takes place in order to advance on the path towards a loving relationship with the creator of souls. Jonsong has created an amazing CD with Spark Of Hope.

One of the most popular singers in Catholic music is Dana. One of Catholic MusicNetwork.com's best selling CDs is her version of the Rosary. With the Holy Father recently adding the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary, Dana teams up again with Fr. Kevin Scallon to bring us this wonderful prayer. This CD contains just the new mysteries of light. The Rosary - Luminous Mysteries is a great addition for anyone who bought Dana's first Rosary CD.