Music Monday: No Air

I have a confession to make.

I like this song, "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.

I'm not exactly sure what I like about it. I guess I think it's kind of catchy. And that's about it, because seriously folks.

I'm usually a lyric person. I like pretty words, new ways of expressing things, hearing my soul in someone else's thoughts.

And this song? Maybe the dumbest words ever. Not only are the words just stupid, but they are totally unhealthy. They are the prime of example of the love addicted disease our society throws at us.

I guess it starts out okay, but the part that really gets me and makes me think, man is this song lame is when she breaks out, "No breathing no breathing"

Yet, I still listen to it. It's a great driving song. Ha.

Are there any songs you like even though the lyrics leave, um, something to be desired?

(check out what everyone else is saying about music at The Secret Life of Kat!)

The Burning of Uncertainty

Friday was the last day for almost one hundred people at my work. They were part of what is expected to be a first wave of lay-offs. They were given (in what my opinion was very generous) two months notice, so for the past two months we've all been walking around very carefully so as not to say the wrong thing. I've been diving into hiding to avoid the many hostile glares because I managed to keep my job. I am thankful the company values what's happening in my little room. That's all I can say.

The same week the lay-offs were announced, the house I rented in got notice of foreclosure. I suddenly felt like all the problems with the economy were coming to visit me. I started to worry about my job, about finding a good place to live, all of it.

So far it's worked out for me. But I know that next week begins a very uncertain time for some of my former students.

I feel like everyone is a bit uncertain at the moment. Brewing underneath the surface of acting like we are going on with life as normal, business as usual fear and worry and uncertainty have taken up residence in our lives. The news is never good, the presidential candidates are not offering any particular hope, hunger continues to sweep through the world, and violence seems to escalate with every passing second. It's the very best time to believe in God.

The title of this post comes from a Sarah McLachlan song. I love the phrase because it's such an unusual way of putting those words together and yet so true. Uncertainty does burn and is terribly uncomfortable. And slowly, if we are not careful, it can erode our faith in God, and feed the fire of our doubts and insecurities until we use fear as our motivator, neglecting faith and forgetting to trust.

The whole song is beautiful and so even though it doesn't exactly have anything to do with this post, I've attached it for your enjoyment.

Preparing for the 40 Day Fast

I'm not as big of a fan of Brooke Fraser as Kat is, (is anyone?) but I do think this song is brilliant. Something about the combination of beautiful sad music and the words...even today, I found tears streaming down my face while listening to it. (this also tends to happen during "Oh my God" by Jars of Clay and "I Saw What I Saw" by Sara Groves)

The line that got to me today was this: "And I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me. I will tell them Albertine"

Not all of us have the chance to be on a stage with so many people watching, but this week over 60 bloggers are going to use their platform-their blogs-to tell the world about what is on their hearts. Instead of blogging about how cute their kids are, or their struggles with modern Christian life, or their latest read (blush) they are going to take one day to turn the spotlight on something that is breaking their heart in the world and they are going to tell us all how we can choose love. Won't you follow along?

Cindy Morgan's Beautiful Bird

When it comes to Christian music, few compare to Cindy Morgan. I have many fond memories of her music, after all she was the free concert my college had when I went there for campus preview in high school. I met her briefly at the time and she was pure graciousness.

Her album, The Loving Kind, is one of my most beloved themed CDs. I love the song about The Lord's Supper especially, as it communicates a bit of what the mood must have been like so beautifully. I have all of her cds and her book.

So, when the opportunity to be a part of the blog tour for her new album came up, I jumped at the chance. Please note that I am no music expert. So this is completely the review of a fan and lover of music who knows very little if anything about the technical aspects of it.
The stand-out tracks for me are "Lay Me Down" which has a spiritual sound. I absolutely believe that I'll be listening to this about a million times in a row once I own it. It has such a great feel to it. LOVE.

I also really like the beautiful "The Sun Shines Through" which is a song about having hope during the difficult times in life. It's got a really gorgeous sound and I imagine will be a true comfort to many.

I also really loved the songs "In These Rooms" and "Most of All"

There are also some songs with a pleasant pop sound to them, like "Fine" and "I Wish" that I imagine will be good fun listening to with the windows rolled down on a sunny day when I'm out for a drive. :)

"Lion and the Lamb" is an interesting song with a sort of ethereal feel that seems to be about a renewed earth.

Overall, I actually probably like this album better than the last few Cindy Morgan albums. I think I will be listening to quite a bit.

These are my initial thoughts. But CD reviews are different for me than book reviews because I need time to let the songs seep in and become a part of my life. I have no doubt that will happen with this album.

This album will be available on iTunes Monday May 20 or at cindymorganmusic.com

Ten CDs I Love: #1--Sarah Brightman

Time for a new music series! I thought about calling this ten CDs in my permanent collection but that was too long. But that's what these are..in this day and age of iTunes and stealing music..I own the hard copies of all of these fair and square. These are in no certain order. I'm hoping to tie this into Music Monday when possible so as not to bore you to death with music posts.

I really love Sarah Brightman, but my favorite of all of her cds is the Classics cd. It combines the more classical recordings she has done...not so much the pop stuff. So much gorgeous music. I've been listening to it a lot lately and I think I'm getting smarter as a result! Okay, maybe not, but one can only hope.

I've had the good fortune of seeing Sarah perform the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber live and that's where I first heard this song. I think it's so beautiful...sad and sweet. So for your listening enjoyment...Pie Jesu.

Wow! (Keith Green)

Growing up, we listened to a lot of Keith Green in our house. A lot. Both sets of grandparents lived far away, and we only ever took road trips for our vacations and we listened to a lot of Keith Green on those trips. So I sort of associate this music with being a bit carsick.

But it influenced me greatly, and I still enjoy listening to it. I have to admit when I looked for my favorite song on youtube, listening to the words again, I realized...this is still what's inside of my heart, and it brought tears to my eyes. That's got to be the sign of great music/lyrics. It's probably been five years since I've heard it!

Anyway, I saw this video and really got a kick out of it! How crazy! And after you watch this 11 year old version of Keith Green, I've included a couple of other videos of songs of his that I love.

I know that a lot of you probably love Keith Green, too, so please share your stories in comments, your favorite songs, whatever you want! It will be fun!



My favorite Keith Green song:



This song....well I loved it as a kid. I used to always giggle at the hamburger and Coke bit. Listening to it again, I can't believe how relevant it is...and terribly convicting. Some of the images in this video might be offensive or shocking, but it's pretty good. Also, I love the way his voice capture so much emotion...this really is a great song for telling a story.



(HT: Think Christian)

A Little Weekend American Idol Fun

This week on American Idol is Andrew Lloyd Weber week. I know, I'm scared, too. But I was worried about Mariah Carey week and it turned out fine.

I heard that Kristy Lee Cook had been planning to sing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and I'm very relieved she is no longer on the show. The last thing I need to hear is a country-fied version of that beautiful song.

So what do you think everyone should attempt? Or what do you think they will sing?

Will someone sing "Memory"? "The Music of the Night?" "The Point of No Return?" "Another Suitcase in Another Hall?" There are so many great songs!

Do you like Andrew Lloyd Weber's music? What's your favorite?

Himself

A couple of weeks ago I asked you all to share your favorite hymns and the answers were all different! I don't think anyone said "It is Well" That surprised me.

My favorite hymn was written by A.B. Simpson. I really love the words.(you know more than the music) I grew up in a Christian and Missionary Alliance church so this is as classic as "Great is Thy Faithfulness" to me. I'm going to put the first stanza here for you.

"Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word.
Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone."

You can read an article he wrote and the rest of the words here.

Sad Idol on Thursday

So not only did the Idols sing the Christian anthem, once--they sang it twice! And it really blessed me. Strangely, enough, I haven't heard it in ages and it was like new. It's easy to forget when you sing that song all the time how sweet the words are...I love them. Poetic and the music soars. (My favorite line is "I sing for joy at the work of Your hands" what's yours?) I downloaded the track off iTunes and I encourage you to do the same. I think the proceeds go to Idol Gives Back. I was hoping the Rent song was on there, too, but it's not. I love that song, too.

You could also download David Cook's track "Innocent" It's actually really good, the full length studio version. I can't seem to stop listening to it. I'm considering getting Jason's as well.

Jordin Sparks is so pretty! But I wasn't really digging that performance. Kind of liked the song, though. (codependent though it was)

Finally, I'm really super duper bummed about Michael. It seems wrong that Carly is still around and he has to go. BUMMER!! We'll miss you Michael!

Music Monday: Great Soundtracks

I've chosen two soundtracks to highlight today. I've seen both of these movies in the past six months which just goes to show how well I remember things. I know there are other soundtracks that I like, but these are fresh on my mind.

The first is from the movie Once. I didn't fall in love with this film, but I most certainly fell in love with its soundtrack. This is the song that won best original song at the Oscars, "Falling Slowly"



The second is from the movie Atonement and this selection is called "Elegy for Dunkirk" I know I've talked about this score before on the blog, I just love it, and it's seen heavy rotation in my CD player. It's so rich, beautiful, and haunting. It's rare that I'm watching a movie and think, "I have to get this soundtrack."



I don't know if these are the greatest soundtracks, but they are the ones I've listened to the most in the past several months.

What are your favorite soundtracks?

You can share here of course or at The Secret Life of Kat's Music Monday.

Justin McRoberts and Counting Crows

Last week, I got new cds from two of my favorite artists..Justin McRoberts and Counting Crows.

I am so pleased to say that I love both of the new albums.

It is such a nice treat to get good new music. It is so nice to have new songs in the soundtrack of my life! :)

See, my life already has quite a bit of Counting Crows and Justin McRoberts in the background. Their voices and songs are welcomed parts of the fabric of my memory.

Here's one of my favorite songs off of Justin McRobert's Deconstruction



It's a great song to listen to when you're driving at night in a reflective mood with windows down and the cool spring air filling your lungs.

Here's my favorite from the Counting Crows album...let me preface this by saying this may be my favorite CC song ever. I am totally in love with it. ( That is really saying something for me who finds August and Everything After to be a practically perfect CD.) And yes, I do believe it's because of that haunting piano music. :)



So if you're looking for some good new music, this is it. I do want to say that Justin McRoberts is a Christian artist (though a very refreshing and wonderful one) and the Counting Crows are not. In case anyone cares about that.

I am submitting this post to Randy Elrod's Watercooler Wednesday. If you participate this week, you'll be entered to win an ipod shuffle. AND please mention I sent you so that I can get some extra entries. :)

Review: Betrayed by J.M. Windle

Read the book synopsis.

When I was in fifth grade, I remember learning about World War II and the US involvement in it. I have this really distinct memory of reading about Pearl Harbor and this line from the text: "The United States had entered World War II." I got little chills and felt a surge of patriotic pride well up within me.

Fast forward to high school. I took two years of History of the Americas and learned about the history of Latin and South America. I wondered exactly where that patriotic pride went as I learned about how the best hopes for these countries were often crushed by our government's influence. They seemed trapped in a continual cycle of despair and we certainly were not helping.

I love the way Jeanette Windle handles these issues in this book. She doesn't paint a clear picture of blame, but rather one of individual responsibility. She depicts what seems to be overwhelming despair and sorrow, but makes this the clear theme of the book: "Do what is right. Do not give way to fear." I love that so much I'm thinking of making little signs to put around me to remind me to live in exactly that way.

This book is certainly very educational in regards to United States/Latin American relations. It's also a mystery and thriller so you get history, get to grapple with the problem of pain and the question of evil, all while being delightfully entertained! There's even a tiny bit of romance! And most importantly there is hope.

Thematically, Betrayed is rich, layered, and consistent.

I highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it, but even more so I was challenged by it. What more can you ask of any book?

The old hymn, "This is my Father's World" runs throughout the book and no other song could have been so appropriate. I dug up this Fernando Ortega version from youtube for your enjoyment. I got goosebumps listening to it after just finishing the book. What a beautiful song!

Music Monday: Songs that Move You

To tell you the truth, I keep drawing a total blank with this one. I'm not the type to dance much. Or to listen to really fast upbeat music for that matter. I don't think a song has ever inspired me to actually do something. There are a few songs that inspire me but I can't find them online...soo..

I finally remembered these two Shane and Shane songs that I love to dance to in my car. Yeah, when I'm driving. :) I'm that crazy person you see on the road. Seriously, sitting in traffic is so mind numbing there has got to be another activity going on or I go crazy.

Anyway, I especially love the words to "The Answer" I really hope I can apply the truth of the song to my life more and more.

Enjoy!





Go visit Kat's for songs that move others!

Also...if anyone still listens to cassette tapes, I have some brand new unopened cassette tapes of Watermark that I'll send anyone who wants one until they are gone. Just use the contact form at the top of the page to send me your address. :)

What's Your Favorite Hymn?

I think it's fun to discover old music and rediscover old favorites. What is your favorite hymn and what is your favorite line from it?

Songs I Can Listen to a Million Times in a Row #3

I'm not sure if Kat is doing Music Monday this week or if it's on Spring Break, but I haven't finished introducing you to my songs I can listen to over and over so here's another! (please try to contain your enthusiasm)

I love Sarah McLachlan. She has such a beautiful voice and such sad songs. I mean, what's not to like?

I really love this song...

Ramblings--Pick One (or two or three) and Discuss

If you've come here looking for my brackets I have no idea what those are or how all that basketball stuff works. So, um, yeah.

The theme for American Idol next week is songs from the years they were born. So we may actually hear stuff that's only like 17 years old.

I really don't want to talk about (argue) politics, but I am interested in anyone's thoughts regarding Obama's speech the other day. I thought it was a good speech.

My TBR pile is seriously at astronomical heights and may, anyday, collapse and crush me. Is anyone else experiencing this?

Has anyone seen the Terminator movies? I watched the tv show and actually really enjoyed it and was wondering if I should bother trying to fill in this gap in my Movie Viewing world.

Counting Crows have a new CD out next week! Justin McRoberts also has a new CD out! Order it now!

Oh and the winner of Experiencing the Resurrection is Chaotic Hammer! But I don't have your email address, because it says no reply on your comment notification. So please email me at mypalamy AT gmail DOT com. Thanks!

The Silence of God (AP Week)

This song gives me serious chill bumps every time I hear it. And it came into my life at the exact time it was needed and I still marvel at just how gorgeous, moving, and beautiful the lyrics are. Whenever I am asked my favorite song lyrics, these always come to mind first. When Love and Thunder (the CD this song is on) released I remember thinking AP couldn't get any better...and then The Far Country came out and dare I say it? I think I love it even more. It gives me high hopes for Resurrection Letters volume II.

I found this video someone made on youtube...I hope you'll take the time to listen to this song. It just might meet you where you are.



Megan asked about CS Lewis's influence on Andrew's writing, and since I can't, well, exactly remember much of CS Lewis's books, if anyone has read both On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and the works of C.S. Lewis and can comment, it would mean a lot to both of us.

In any case, tomorrow I'll wrap up AP week with a short interview the man himself so graciously provided. And then this weekend, I'll contact winners.

Music Monday; Greatest Love Songs

Kat is celebrating ten years of marriage this week so this weeks Music Monday theme is the greatest love songs.

I've decided to just go with cheesy...it really doesn't get more cheesetastic than this....Peter Cetera "The Glory of Love"

MM: Guilty Pleasures--J-Pop and Umbrella

I have quite a few guilty pleasures when it comes to music. (I really enjoy, for example, Clay Aiken's Christmas CD)

Here are a couple of my favorites. I lived in Japan and whenever I'm in another country, I have this strong desire to blend in. In Japan, that meant making some sense of J-pop, which by the way, most foreigners hate. I really like some of it, and one of my favorite songs, which I have attempted at karaoke using only Hiragana to terrible results is Utada Hikaru's "Can You Keep a Secret?" Unfortunately, the video here sort of weirds me out and I don't really know what the song is about.




I also love that song "Umbrella". I had the Mandy Moore version up, but I realized there was some racy stuff in the background, so here's Marie Digby.





What's your guilty pleasure? Share at The Secret Life of Kat!

Music Monday: Jason Gray

I don't have a youtube video for this one, but you can go here and click on jukebox and scroll through the songs until you get to "The Cut"

I just really love this song. It's the sort of song that can bring tremendous comfort during those oh-so-painful times of refining in our lives. The music is beautiful, Sara Groves adds lovely BGVs and the lyrics bring fresh perspective to a common experience.

One of my favorite parts:

"As You peel back the bark
And tear me apart
To get to the heart of what matters the most
I'm cold and I'm scared
As Your love lays me bare
But in the shaping of my soul
The cut makes me whole"

Love that...so beautiful.

Jason Gray's whole album is worth checking out. Another song I really love is "You are Mercy" My favorite part of that song...

"God it's lonely in this crowded street
Where we touch but stay out of reach
We're all wounded but afraid to bleed
We pray for peace while our hands make war
We've had our fill and still we grab for more
We've forgotten what our hands are for"

Please go to his website and listen to his wonderful music now. :)

Don't forget to visit The Secret Life of Kat for other music Monday entries.