“Go to Jesus like a child...” are the words on the front cover of the CD Prayerful Hearts by Sharmane Adams.  I was intrigued as the titles were all traditional Catholic prayers that Adams has set to music. My delight came with Adams' vocals and the arrangement of each song. I was expecting a "kids" CD. You know the kind I’m talking about. What I heard was beautiful vocals, prayerful lyrics and soft-pop musical style. I really enjoyed it! Now, is this CD is aimed at kids or not? This is the kind of music that does not talk down to kids. I have a young niece that loves to listen to the pop music that her older cousins like. (We are trying to keep her away from that stuff as long as we can.) This is something she liked and she recognized the lyrics as prayers she is learning in her Sunday school class and at home. Adams does wonderful renditions of the Prayer to St. Michael, the Act of Contrition, the Angel of God Prayer, and a Decade of the Rosary. Adams' children read scripture as an intro to the songs, thus helping to tie these prayer together. I enjoyed the CD so much that I decided to give it as a gift to an adult friend who will be coming into the Catholic church and is wanting to learn so much about his faith. This CD will be great for him as it will teach him the prayers that many learned growing up. What makes this CD so much more special is that all proceeds from Prayerful Hearts are donated to Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Monastery in Hulbert, Oklahoma.


If you feel your kids are ready for a more rockin’ way to learn their faith, look no further than the new CD by Mike Harrison, Standin' On the Rock (Catholic Kids Music). I can just see older children jumping up and down, dancing to this CD. It contains the three F’s needed for a good children’s CD. It's Faithful, Formative, and Fun! Harrison gets help on this CD from many of his good Catholic musician friends. The CD starts off with a hoppin' tune called “Great God” with special guest Greg Walton. The song takes bits of the creed and praises
J-E-S-U-S! We get more of the Creed in “We Believe In Jesus,” again with guest artist Greg Walton, backed up by a children's choir.  Very cool! It was last month that I talked about Sal Solo making Mass music for teens, and Sal is back with Harrison to sing the traditional “St. Michael’s Prayer.” This is done in a military-marching style. More to Solo’s speed is the song “I Will Exalt,” which teaches kids about praising the name of the Lord. Don’t be surprised if after listening to this they start speaking a Hebrew phase or two. Other guests on the CD include the band Crossed Hearts, Joy Curry (who I loved on Greg Walton’s CD), Annie Waugh and many more. Mike Harrison has put together a fun and educational CD with Standin'On the Rock. Harrison shares a favorite saying by Dr. Peter Kreeft.  It says "Dullness... is the strongest enemy of faith." Standin’ on the Rock is not dull!


Speaking of CDs with great guests, check out Offering by David Yackley. This is a collection of songs that invites you into revelations that Yackley has had during his prayer life. It is powerful stuff. Yackley is joined on this CD by Danielle Rose, Steve Olson, Tracey Wilson Yackley, April Quedado, Laura Yackley, Todd Nystrom and Ross Nyberg. The CD is very diverse in its musical style.  Offering opens with “Song of Jubilation,” telling us we should be shouting out for joy, because by His mercy we are healed. It’s a great song of praise. Yackley gets funky with the song "Surrender," a tune about giving it all--heart mind and body to the Lord. The song has a bit of a light hip-hop beat mixed with synthpop.  Beautiful female vocals (from Tracey Wilson Yackley) accompany him until the song changes slightly with a bit of rap thrown in to give it some zest. Another song that has rap in it is “Prepare Ye The Way (John the Rap-tist).” Here Yackley raps to the words of St. John the Baptist--calling out to prepare the way for the Savior. It is the inclusion of three songs sung by Danielle Rose that makes this CD a collector for her fans. Her vocals mixed with Yackley's are awesome in “I Do Believe.” I’ve always loved St. Thomas, the one who needed more proof, yet he was also the one to first call Jesus "‘God" when he said “My Lord and My God,” after feeling the nail marks and Christ’s side. Danielle truly makes the song “In The Shelter Of Your Arms" her own as she soulfully sings about feeling safe under the gaze of The Father. You just know He is taking care of you. It's the song “In You, Lord” that remains my favorite on this CD. I remember the days when music videos where played on TV and a video would "sell"‘ a song and get it stuck in your head. I did that with Yackley’s flash version of this song. (Click here to see the flash music video of this song) He did it in an "anime" style and it works. It's an awesome song about giving yourself completely to God. Yackley did this as a special song for the Year of the Eucharist and I would put this as one of 2005's great Catholic songs! David Yackley has an awesome talent and he gives it to you in Offering.


I was really impressed with Joe Hand’s last release in 2004, Everything and Nothing. In it you could hear how his songwriting and his guitar playing have grown through the years. (I was privileged to see him and Tony Melendez together and the guitar playing was excellent then.) Hand has the kind of talent that in the secular world would make him a pop star and bring in the big bucks.  But God had other plans for Joe Hand and he is following them with a true Catholic ministry. He's sharing God’s word. What a better way to do it than to take the "songs" from the Bible.  In the Old Testament the Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 ancient songs. King David wrote them and Hand has adapted several of them into a collection simply titled Psalms. These psalms are adjusted only slightly to give the wording a more friendly feel, but the meaning that was intended so long ago is still there. The CD opens with the smooth Psalm 90 (Before The Mountains Were Born). Highlighting Hand’s singing talent, this song reminds us that Our God is alive and always will be. We can always go to God wherever we are. He'll be with us if we ask. We hear in Psalm 27 (The Lord Is My Light) that we should not fear because God is with us in the good times and the bad. It is thought that this psalm may have been written right after David defeated Goliath, and Hand echoes that in the chorus: “The Lord is my light and my salivation, whom should I fear...” I promise you that you will get goose bumps the way I did when I heard Hand play on Psalm 63 (Because Your Love Is Better Than Life.) In this song about being thirsty for God, Hand proves that he is truly a talented musician. The haunting guitar speaks in its own language through his hands.  I can't wait to see what Joe Hand comes up with next.



Ned Tonner's new CD project Live Life in Christ is a collection of praise and worship songs that will elevate the listener to new realms. If you love those retro sounds of the 70's – James Taylor, the Eagles, Bread, America, with lots of acoustic guitars and layered harmonies, this CD is for you. Tonner's vocals often sound remarkably close to John Denver or Roy Orbison. Starting with the incredible “Holy Spirit Come” this tune triumphantly reminds all of us to invoke the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. The eclectic sounds of the drums remind the listener of being a warrior for Christ and His Church, while the title track “Live Life in Christ” is a heart-inspiring song that will also have everyone tapping to the music. The songs that will make everyone take notice are the trilogy of “They Killed The Son,” “Rainy Saturday,” and “He's Messiah to Me.” These songs represent Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. In “He's Messiah to Me," Tonner sings a duet with Teri Smith.  They sing the part of St. Peter and Mary Magdalene respectively. It's an acknowledgement that Jesus is their personal Savior and has called them to share His love to all. In a world where values are skewed and morality is questioned, Ned Tonner’s Live Life in Christ captures the focus of how to live your daily life as a Catholic Christian.

--Jeff Burson