As the fall season is upon us we see the leaves turn color and many of the plants die off. It also is the end of the Church year. Though it is the end it is also the start of a beginning as we ready ourselves for the coming of Christ. During the first days of November, CatholicMusicNetwork.com lost a friend, Bill, in a very quick death. He had not been sick and just went home from work and the Lord took him to his final reward.  It reminds us of the parable of the virgins, with their lamps filled with oil ready to meet their bridegroom--we too must be ready. We do not know the hour nor the day our Lord will come for each of us. In all we do we must say Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy.)

This is echoed in the new CD Sancta Mater by Darcy Maher. It's an album of original songs reflecting our Catholic beliefs, from Marian spirituality to apostolic tradition, including songs about the dignity of human life and personal encounters with our Lord. It is really a collection of love songs for the Church that Jesus Himself made. As a singer Darcy Maher has a solid vocal range, but it is her delivery that sets her apart. Her voice carries a warmth and intimacy that brings her music to life. It's obvious she has a passion for the Catholic Church.  There is something for everyone on this CD as the songs range from meditative to "funky, light jazz.”  The Kyrie Eleison prayer gets the jazzy treatment in the song “The Stranger Kyrie.”  It is a petition asking the Father to help us keep Him at the center of our lives. Another song that gets jazzed is “Narrow Gate.”  The horns on this are played by Darcy’s friend Rob Giese, who makes not only like St. Gabriel, but does a duet with Darcy, as well.  “Narrow Gate” is a fantastic song taken from Matthew 7:13-14, in which Jesus tells us that the narrow gate leads us to life and paradise. It is a hard gate to pass through and those that find it are few. Darcy received help from family members on this one. Her sister, Danielle Maher-Baron, sings duet on "Some Other Mother."  It is one of the simplest songs on Sancta Mater, but it may bear the strongest message.  In this song we hear about three mothers: the first is a mother who lost a baby in pregnancy and has been unable to conceive again; the second is an unwed pregnant woman who is contemplating abortion; the third is our Blessed Mother.  “Some Other Mother” is sung in a Southern gospel style, with a country twang and old-time piano.  On the same note about Our Blessed Mother comes the song “Hidden Years.” It is sung from Mary and Joseph’s view of Jesus as a little child. Darcy and Rob do the duet thing again and make us understand the love that the Holy Family had for each other. The title track, "Sancta Mater Ecclesia," is Latin for Holy Mother Church.  It seemed fitting to give the CD this title since each song is a reflection of Catholic belief, practice, or experience, and all the songs are born from a deep love for Christ's awesome gift to us, his Bride and his Body, the Sacrament of Salvation, the Church. Darcy Maher has made a wonderful gift to anyone who loves their Catholic faith.

The love of Jesus and His Church shines brightly in the CD I Will Extol You my God and King by Tom Doyle.  The music on this CD is peaceful, with uplifting arrangements.  It is a remarkable arrangement of praise and worship songs.  It includes inspiring songs based upon the Psalms such as the title cut, "I Will Extol You my God and King (Psalm 145)" and "The Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23)." Tom’s version of "Hail Mary" blends the beautiful words of this prayer with a repeated calling to the name of Jesus. Another song about Our Blessed Mother is "Holy Mother of Perpetual Help" which is based upon the words of Elizabeth and the Magnificat of Mary. This is one of the prettiest songs on the CD, sung in almost a ballad form.  "We Come to You Dear Jesus" is a peaceful and moving song, which speaks of the mercy of the Lord when we come to Him in our sin, in our brokenness, and when we are lost. "He is The Lord" contains references to the Eucharist and Eucharistic Adoration.  "Come into the Light of Christ" is a song that contains the beautiful elements of our Baptism, which Tom wrote when one of his daughters was brought into the Kingdom of God in Baptism. Children seem to make us look at life in a way that we may have forgotten. I Will Extol You my God and King will help you to see Christ in that new light.

Children and other joys and struggles are the foundation for the new CD Love Holds On by Mark Mallett. Mark’s first CD Deliver Me From Me has always been a big seller at CatholicMusicNetwork.com, so many looked forward to this new CD, and it won't disappoint them. Mark's style has developed tremendously thanks in part to co-producer and Canadian country star Jim Witter. This album is a gorgeous collection of life and love songs intermingled with Mark's spirituality. Mark says that when we strip away everything unnecessary in life all that is left is love. And God is love. This is echoed in "In The Way,” a love song to a spouse in which the underlined love is seeing God in each other's eyes. It states that the spouse is living proof that there is a God.  The presence of God in children is the focus of “As You Are" and “He Turned One.” There is a Celtic flare in “Kingdom Of Freedom,” a song about someone making the journey to Christ. “Thirsting For You” reiterates the message of needing Christ. This is an amazing, rocked-up tune that will keep your toes tapping. Love Holds On also contains a interesting version of the "Kyrie Eleison" (Lord have mercy) prayer. The melody starts off sounding like Ry Cooder and then gets jazzed up a bit, ending in a gospel style. I was impressed!  Speaking about Love Holds On, Mark Mallett says: “I wrote my first song when I was nine.  It went ‘Rain, Rain, I love the Rain.’  Really my writing hasn’t changed much since then: I still get caught up in the simple things.  There is power in simplicity.  Like the way we love our pets.  The heartbreaks we all have to endure.  The bond of a parent and a child.  The powerful glance of one lover’s eyes to another, or the long distance phone calls to bridge the loneliness.  Then there’s the universal fear of having to let go…or embrace the unknown. These songs reflect the joys and struggles familiar to every human spirit.”

It is the human spirit that is explored in the awesome song “Make Me An Instrument” by singer Renee Bondi. It comes from of her new CD called Let It Rain.  The song speaks of struggles that we all know about or perhaps even go through everyday. Our life is seen like a newspaper headline and we ask God to make us a tool to share Him with others. It is a slow ballad that stands out on this recording. Let It Rain is a deeply personal, signature collection of original songs reflecting the growth, ministry, and personal triumph of Renée Bondi. The CD starts with the uplifting song “Jesus Christ Is Lord” which is a rocking praise song. Along the same lines is “I Can Do All Things Through Christ.”  It has a great beat and a greater message. “...The gates of hell cannot resist God’s people on the move….Nothing comes between His love for you and me...”  The pace slows a bit on “I Believe”, a song that the title speaks for itself. Renée’s vocals are the highlight in the soft song called “Be Still And Hear My Voice.” It is mainly just her and a piano. It is stunning as she sings that God hold a compass for each of our life’s choices and we will be okay, if we just listen to Him. I was amazed to hear the old Christian standard “Blessed Assurance“ sung by Renée, as she breathed new life into it. "Let It Rain" has so much power behind it, you can see why it was picked for the title track. It is a song about calling on the Holy Spirit to rain down upon us. Renée Bondi shows us that we all have some cross to bear; some less visible than others. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and praise His holy name.