June/July 2005

Stockbridge, Massachusetts is a place known for a few famous things. It is the home of New York Post artist Norman Rockwell. The town is also known for a song called "Alice’s Restaurant." Most importantly, it is the home of the National Divine Mercy Shrine. The little town has a lot to offer. Being born around all of this has rubbed off on Catholic musician Brian Flynn. Flynn has just released his second CD called In The Sight Of The Angels. Just like the little town of Stockbridge, Flynn offers us variety as well. He approaches with soft gentle vocals that sway toward praise and worship. His style of music varies from pop coffee-house, to jazz, to deep scripture meditations. To me the mood of the CD is almost set with the song called “Communio.” It's a nice, relaxing song that reminds us to put aside our busy lives with the cell phones, the TV, the flashing video games and get to that which is important in life: Time with your family and God. “Find Us Ready” is one of those jazzy numbers that has the sound of Ray Charles meets Chicago. The song is a plea to God to purify us from sin and make us ready for Heaven. There are many other praise and worship songs on the CD that must be heard, such as “King of Heaven and Earth,” “Above All,” and “Faithful To Our Lord God.” The song “Take It To The Cross” is one that will touch you with its Celtic/country mix. This is a song written by Todd Sylvester that tells us to lay all our sins at the foot of the Cross. The title track In The Sight Of The Angels is taken from Psalm 138.  Flynn has made this the staple of the CD with the words “In the sight of the Angel, I will praise You, Lord.”


Kara Klein is one of those singers that is hard to describe. She has just released her debut CD called A Touch of Your Grace.  She uses a mixture of classical aria vocals and orchestra pieces and throws in pop riffs and over tones to give a unique sound that is touching to your ears, your heart and your soul. Unbelievable still is that all the songs on the CD are written by Klein herself, except for the classic cover of “Amazing Grace.” It's songs like “Rescue Me” that let you know where Klein’s head is as a youth in today’s world. All the pressures of life are weighing upon you and you must cry out to God to be rescued from it. The string music used on this song is awesome. Knowing what youth are going through is something Klein knows about and she is a big supporter of chastity. In high school she promoted abstinence among young people and was a member of the state board for the Governor’s Program on Abstinence. In fact, her song “Drawing Near To Me” talks about her future husband and how they should wait for marriage before being intimate and help each other draw closer to God. Falling in love with Jesus is the theme of the song “Longing To Love You.” It's the song to Our Blessed Mother, “Bring Me Back,” that really let’s you know where Klein’s heart is as a Catholic. Understanding that one of the best ways to get to Jesus is by letting His mother take us to Him, Klein pleas for Mary to be our guide to the foot of the Cross where her Son suffers for us. It is there that we can ask Jesus to give us “A Touch Of Your Grace.” This title song is very upbeat and shows off the writing and vocal talents of Kara Klein as she asks God to mold us and change us like He did the loaves and fishes or the water into wine. A Touch of Your Grace is an excellent CD--can’t wait to hear more from Kara Klein.


The best review I can give of Barry Russo‘s CD, These Are The Days, comes from the opening of the forth song, “It’s Not To Late.” You hear an old 50’s B-movie announcer’s voice that states, “This should be played at high volume, preferably in a residential area.” I couldn't agree more. Russo has made an exceptional CD that captures the Holy Spirit at work in our daily lives without getting too preachy. “These Are The Days” stands back and looks at the "big picture.” It's the mood that stays in the song “Letting Go.” It talks about how we feel when we let go and let God take over. We leave our sins and past behind. God is with us, so live for the moment--is the idea behind the poppy tune "While We Got Today.” In this song Russo sees an old man and wonders what life will be like when he is old, hoping he doesn't look back and laugh at himself for not taking the right path. Russo knows that you can always change your life as he states in the song “It’s Not Too Late.” Of course the song everyone will remember from the CD is the parody “Child Of The 80’s.” Russo remembers the innocence of his childhood by placing "bookmarks" in those memories of pop culture. “..When ET had not phoned home yet, and an actor was the president, when Karate Kid had learn to kick, those are times I really miss—I’m a child of the 80’s…” Russo sings in a Buggles/Flash and the Pan type of voice and inserts riffs from Devo, Van Halen, Aha and more. He hits the nail on the head with the lyric “Reality killed the video star...” as MTV is now nothing more than reality TV shows. All together These Are The Days sends a message from Barry Russo. Life goes by too quickly, so overcome your obstacles and live God’s gift to you to its fullest.