Without Words features ten songs composed by Matt, plus bonus tracks of two of his songs that were remastered with additional instruments.

I had the chance to speak with Matt during an interview he did with me on the Catholic Music Express, and I was impressed with his desire to share his faith with people wherever possible. He has shared the stage with other Catholic artists like Dan Duet and Fr. Kent O’Connor. Several videos are available on YouTube featuring Matt and some of these other artists.

You can learn more about Matt Di Filippo and his music on his page on MySpace.com/MattdiFilippo.



Copyright 2010 Jim Logue

“In the Silence of the Heart” – guitar, violin, finding God in the silence, in the desert. Reflects Danielle’s pursuit of God in her own heart.

“Pursue Me” – guitar, light percussion. A song asking God to “pursue me”, to come into my life. “You stretched Your loving arms across the world into my heart.” Sometimes we keep running away from God, trying to go after our own selfish prizes. God comes to pursue us, to bring us back to Himself.

“Nothing Compares to You” – light waltz. Unlike other songs with a similar name, this one is not about “you” going away and me being sad. Nothing in this world can separate us from the Love of God, as in the passage from Romans.

“Hail, Mary” – In honor of our Blessed Mother. The beautiful prayer to Mary expanded, a devotion to the Mother of God, mixed with the Doxology.

“Abraham’s Offering” – a song written about the story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. A song about true faith, obedience, and trust in God.

“Anointing at Bethany” – midtempo 6/8 song about Jesus’ annointing with the expensive oil by the woman, as told from the perspective of the woman.

“Follow Me” – “If you lose your life for the sake of my name…”, this is a song about God calling us to follow Him. “I call you by name, I call you my friend. From now on I call you a fisher of men.” Beautiful choir arrangment on this one.

“Walk on Water” – song about Jesus’ walking on water, the apostles’ fear when they saw him, “Come to me and walk up on the water; Come in faith my grace will be enough. If you believe you come to know love’s power, come to me and I will hold you up.” The harmonies give the right touch.

“Psalm 139 (Wonderfully Made)” – “Lord, You search me and you know me.” A beautiful setting of the psalm. A haunting piano accompaniment accentuates this song.

“Sing a New Song” – A definite Bluegrass tempo, “I will sing a new song, to a new song. I will sing a new song to the Lord. He has turned my mourning, turned it into dancing, silence ends in melody.” Turning everything over to Jesus. This is the song that gives her that Alison-Krause-like quality.

“See You In the Eucharist” – a light ballad, a song about Jesus’ True Presence in the Eucharist. Something that even Catholics need to be reminded about, that the Eucharist is not just a symbol of Jesus, it IS Jesus!

“Gates of Heaven” – A light bluegrass/folk song, duet with her father, Dr. Daniel Skorich. “…and if I never see you face again, we will meet at the gates of Heaven.” Reminds me a little of some of the Irish ballads I’ve heard. Danielle said she cried for two hours after first hearing this song.

While we will definitely miss Danielle’s music, she is being called to a different life. We offer our prayers for Danielle in her vocation in the convent. 100% of the royalties of this project will go towards vocations.

The CD can be purchased at the WLP Website: WLP.JSPaluch.com.

Copyright 2010 Jim Logue

Carol Banks, 62, of Kenner, was jailed on hit and run charges after colliding with the Faucheux vehicle, pushing it into the path of another vehicle. Banks kept driving and was apprehending a short time later.

Gerard Faucheux left his wife, Kathy, a schoolteacher in Meadville, and four children between the ages of 10 and 21, according to Lisa Bacala, Gerard’s sister. Nelson and Shirley Faucheux are survived by Bacala and another son.

The year leading up to the accident had taken a toll on the Faucheuxs. To battle Nelson Faucheux’s diabetic and heart-disease complications, doctors amputated both of his feet last spring. They then ordered him to receive dialysis treatment three times a week, said Bacala, an Ascension Parish School Board employee.

Bacala said her father developed a staph infection in one of his legs from his frequent dialysis visits. When the wound did not heal, he started visiting a specialist at East Jefferson General Hospital regularly to have it cleaned. He was returning from one of these appointments when the accident occurred.

The Faucheux siblings took turns driving their father to his medial appointments, Bacala said.

Gerard recorded his debut CD of self-penned songs, “How Can You Think of Me Now”, which was produced by Dave Smith of Icon Music Studios.



Submitted by Jim Logue

Best-selling author Susan Tassone, who is considered an expert on Purgatory, helps us in learning what Purgatory is and answers many of the questions we have in this new book. What Susan has provided us is a wonderful guide to help dispel some of the myths that people have and to give us some practical advice on how to pray for them. Susan drawn on the words of the Saints, who themselves have had much to say about Purgatory.

As an example, St. John Vianney said, “Oh! If all of us but knew how great is the power of the good souls in purgatory with the Heart of God, and if we knew all the graces we can obtain through their intercession, they would not be so much forgotten! We must pray much for them, so that they may pray much for us.”

In this book, Susan gives us some wonderful stories of how the saints have prayed for the souls, and how the souls have responded to their prayers. Susan also gives us some practical ways to pray, including Novenas, prayers, and ideas for spiritual practices that we can do throughout the year.

You can learn more about Susan Tassone at her own website, SusanTassone.com.

The book, Praying With the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory can be purchased through Our Sunday Visitor.



Copyright 2010 Jim Logue

The final episode list is as follows:

Episode 1: National Shrine of St Rita of Cascia, Philadelphia
Episode 2: National Shrine of St Katharine Drexel, Philadelphia
Episode 3: Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish and St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, New York, NY
Episode 4: National Blue Army Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, New Jersey
Episode 5: St. Mary’s Spiritual Center & Historic Site on Paca Street in Baltimore and the National Shrine of St Elizabeth Ann Seton, Emmitsburg
Episode 6: Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Philadelphia
Episode 7: Old St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York
Episode 8: Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Baltimore
Episode 9: St Alphonsus Church, Baltimore
Episode 10: National Shrine of St John Neumann, Philadelphia
Episode 11: Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark
Episode 12: St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York
Episode 13: St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York

If you want more information on our show, please check out our website at www.thefaithfultraveler.com.

16 page booklet by Tim Drake with study questions, biographies of St. Clare and St. Francis, and resource list

Behind the scenes featurette and a special “Making of Clare and Francis” featurette.

English and Italian language, Spanish & English subtitles.

Get more information and purchase DVD at Ignatius Press.

I must admit that I know nothing about the rap/hip-hop world and who are the “movers and shakers” in the industry. However reading other reviews of Paradox (which can be accessed from the Paradox website, ParadoxHipHop.com), it is apparent that Paradox has brought in some “heavyweights” for this album.

Probably most readers of Grapevine would not be interested in an entire rap album, but I would recommend that “Called to Mind” might be an opportunity to stretch one’s musical tastes. Several of the tracks I found to be more “approachable,” such as “Put ‘em Together” (I find the hook to be quite catchy), and the sampling for “Let Your Life Speak” and “On Second Thought” to be really great. Lyrically, my favorite tracks are “Help Wanted,” which is very playful with its rhyming and imagery (with a good message to boot), and “Ruined for Life,” which is the most explicitly Christian track. Both could find a happy place in some high school/college retreats.

Please check out Paradox’ “Called to Mind” on iTunes, CDbaby, or Amazon.

Reviewed by Fr. Kent O’Connor

Like so many young rock bands, The Thirsting is “on the road” trying to get their music out there. They sleep in their van, eat at truck stops, drive for hours on end, set up their own gear, and play for whoever will listen. It’s not an easy life, but they’re passionate about what they do. And what they do is play rock n’ roll…Catholic rock n’ roll.

In the small world of Catholic rock music, the “Do It Yourself (DIY)” philosophy is not an alternative to working with a large record label or publishing company, it’s the only option for most artists. If they want people to hear their music, then they must handle every facet of the artistic process themselves. They produce their own recordings, book their own gigs, and market and sell their own merchandise. There is no record label, no manager, no agent, and no publicist. If they don’t do it themselves, it doesn’t get done. “Booking our gigs is a lot of hard work,” Josh Olson, the guitarist for The Thirsting explains, “phone calls, and emails. A lot of it has been us sitting by the phones. One thing we’ve been doing recently is compiling a big data base of all the dioceses, and youth leaders all across the country. And so we try to call them and get events booked that way.” This is a common situation for most Catholic rock artists. Mike BeLoud of the LA-based band Rise makes it clear that every aspect of touring, not just booking gigs, is usually left up to the artist. “We have generally paid for all our own travel,” he states, “including our trip to Germany (for World Youth Day 2005). Occasionally, a promoter will offer a small stipend for travel, but mostly we take care of our own logistics.”

David Vogel, an award winning Catholic artist, also survives without the help of a booking agent or manager. He matter-of-factly declares, “I have slept in the back seat of my car, on the tour bus, outside on the ground, hotels, motels, guest houses, in churches, church rectories, a wing off a convent, homeless shelters, even under a bridge.” It certainly isn’t the glamorous life of many secular performers as portrayed on MTV. There are definitely no all-night parties with groupies, no expensive hotel penthouses, and no stretch limousines to take artists to their gigs. On the contrary, the Catholic rock artist lives a humble, no-frills life receiving little recognition for all their hard work. A few make enough money from their ministry to support a modest life style. However, most Catholic artists must work full-time day jobs in order to pay their bills because their music just doesn’t generate enough income.

Although the financial rewards are usually minimal, and the work is hard, most Catholic artists find themselves playing for very appreciative audiences no matter what the situation. The Thirsting said that in the past three years, they have played about 200 shows. Mostly churches, retreats, youth rallies, and Christian music festivals (like the Joshua Fest in Quincy, CA, or Common Ground at Ester Short Park in Vancouver). Kyle Heimann of the group Popple says, “We are on the road for 2 months straight every summer playing at camps, and a good chunk of the weekends the rest of the year. We�ve played at retreats, conferences, youth rallies, camps, Mass, parish picnics, parties, youth nights, praise and worship events, and adoration. In 2009 we played 110 days, and with travel it was 150 days (on the road). We have played in Mexico, France, and all over the country (USA).”

By far, the largest and highest-profile concert event for Catholic rock artists to perform at is the International World Youth Day Celebration (WYD). This event is held in a different international city every two or three years, and is scheduled for Madrid, Spain in 2011. It attracts hundreds of thousands of teens from all over the world, and is also internationally televised. Artists such as Critical Mass, Rise, and Tom Booth have all had the opportunity to perform at this event over the past several years. WYD is an unbelievable chance for any artist to share their music with a young international audience. Surprisingly, even for an event of this magnitude, the performers receive little or no money. Furthermore, they are not allowed to sell any of their merchandise at WYD, and typically have to arrange for all their own travel, and housing accommodations. David Vogel performed at WYD 2008 in Sydney, Australia, but not before enduring enormous trials for months leading up to the event. He was badly injured in a severe motorcycle accident, his house was burglarized, and his band quit on him. Yet, he was so determined to play at WYD 2008 that he borrowed money against his home, and sold most of his belongings to cover the cost of the trip to Sydney.

Enduring hardships is just part of the experience. Touring is a labor of love, especially for Catholic bands that cannot turn to a tour manager, or record company to help out when they hit bumps along the way. “One time, in the middle of a spring tour of the South-west,” explains Dan Oberreuter, lead singer for The Thirsting, “we were in Flagstaff, Arizona and our bus broke down. It was really cold, about 20 degrees out and there was a blizzard ahead of us. That kind of sucked because we were supposed to have a concert in Amarillo, but our bus broke down before we got there. In hindsight, we think it was probably God protecting us from the blizzard.” The band Rise has also seen their fair share of touring disasters. They say, “We often consider ourselves as the ‘Spinal Tap’ of Catholic Music! We can write a book about the disasters and funny things that have happened to us, from traveling across the country at our own expense to perform at what was billed as a huge arena gig, but only about 6 people showed up in a venue that could have held 10,000…to Mike’s ‘exploding’ suitcase at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany!”

There are also many unexpected rewards for the brave artists who venture out on the road. As they perform in small towns and large cities across the globe, they come in contact with many different people. It’s not unusual for them to find that when they arrive at a town to perform, their music has preceded them and already touched individuals in that community. They often find that while they are ministering to their audiences with their songs, God is ministering to them as well. A beautiful example of this is retold by the members of The Thirsting: “One tour, we roll up to Dinuba, California, and this guy comes up and greets us. We’re like, ‘who is this guy? Is he part of the Church or what?’ He goes, ‘Do you know who I am?’ We say, ‘No.’ He says, ‘Well, I know who you guys are. I’ve been waiting for you guys for a week.’ Turns out, he’s a homeless guy in the area that had heard about us coming. He hasn’t had a roof over his head for 15 years. He had our concert poster on his shopping cart, and he’s a member of the parish there. He took us to the church. Everybody knew him. He helped us set up. He was just a fun guy to talk with, and hang out with. He wouldn’t accept a food offering. He said, ‘You guys need it more.’ He was the first one to greet us and the last one to see us go when we left. He gave Josh a gift: a (sweet) watch. He was the least among us…Jesus among us.”

Whether it is receiving a warm reception from an ecstatic young crowd who are witnessing their first rock concert ever, or enduring the critical comments of elderly parishioners about the evils of rock music, Catholic artists have to keep a positive attitude. Without that they would never last. They must be passionate about their music, as well as their faith. They must be firmly grounded in the belief that what they do truly matters, and playing their music for others is their calling. In regards to Catholic artist who are on the road playing their music, Tom Booth may sum it up best when he explains, “Generally speaking, these are people who have been profoundly touched by the grace of God, and feel pushed to go out and tell the world the good news. Mostly, it is work for the gospel; meeting people, listening to their stories, praying with them, giving advice and asking advice. The music is a small part of the overall picture. It is ministry, not music performance.”

• World Youth Day…the numbers:

  • 2000: Rome, Italy (2,000,000 in attendance)
  • 2002: Toronto, Canada (800,000 in attendance)
  • 2005: Cologne, Germany (1,200,000 in attendance)
  • 2008: Sydney, Australia (223,000 in attendance)
  • 2011: Madrid, Spain

• Some of the best places to catch live Catholic rock in the US:

  • 1. Steubenville Youth Conferences: Over a dozen different weekend conferences in all areas of the US.
  • 2. National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC): always some of the best Catholic performers are on the agenda.
  • 3. Crossroads Music Festival: One of the best-known Catholic Music Festivals in the Midwest.
  • 4. Los Angeles Religious Education Congress: One of the nation’s largest Catholic Conferences with lots of good music all weekend.
  • 5. Monkfest (Canada): Tons of great indie-rock Catholic style.
  • 6. UNITY Awards: the United Catholic Music and Video Association’s annual awards show held in a different city every year featuring performances by a variety of Catholic artists.

1. Catholic Rock Fun Facts:

   1. One of the guitarists from the band Rise is also an LA police officer and co-founder of the Catholic record label, Spiritwing Records.
   2. The Catholic rocker, David Vogel recently played an original composition that is set to the poetry of Pope John Paul II for Pope Day in Warsaw, Poland.
   3. The lead singer of the band Critical Mass works days as a college professor.
   4. The duo Popple is known for their humor, and playing kazoos.
   5. The Thirsting had to officially discontinue “stage diving” at their concerts.

Copyright 2010 Hugh van der Linden

Tim has over 90 musical compositions published by OCP. His songs combine traditional and contemporary musical idioms that are easily accessible to both listeners and worshiping assemblies. Some of Tim’s well-known liturgical compositions include: Voice Of Christ, Give Me Ears To Listen, O Mother Of Jesus, and In Every Age.

Today is the Day is a great liturgical CD, combining some very contemporary sounds with congregation-friendly melodies. It is an Easter CD, there are songs of mission, of conversion and of our baptismal call to make disciples. There are a number of responsorial psalms (which are my personal favorite inspirations for Catholic music). Songs like Top of Your Voice are not only liturgically appropriate but are very accessible musically.

I like the mix of music on this album. It’s a fresh approach to liturgical music, and I feel like we need more music like this; so, music ministers, pay attention! There are numerous new Psalm recordings that I find fresh and upbeat. Just one example of this is the psalm Lord You Have the Words, Psalm 16. This is a common psalm that is appropriate for many Sunday liturgies but one that I’ve always felt was lacking in the variety of settings available to ministers.

I don’t want it to sound like music ministers are the only ones who should listen to this CD–I recommend it especially to music ministers because it is challenging to find the kind of contemporary Catholic music that is contained on this album. This album is solid album for listeners who are looking for liturgical music that conveys a strong Easter message. Visit TimothyRSmith.com for more information.



Copyright 2010 Jim Logue

You can learn more by visiting the website dedicated to Mount Athos HERE. They also offer a 6-CD-ROM tour of Mount Athos complete with the beautiful natural sound.

For additional information about Jade Music and to see a list of our albums and artists, please visit: MilanRecords.com.

If you are a lover of chant, or you know someone who is, you might consider Liturgica.com’s gift idea. They offer a gift basket of foods made by monks of the Northwest that also include a CD of chant. Find out more at Liturgica.com.

Track Listing:

1/ O Virgin Pure (Agnie Parthene)
2/ O Give Thanks to the Lord
3/ Praise the Lord from the Heavens
4/ Terirem
5/ Doxastikon and Theotokion of the Polyeleos
6/ The Great Doxology
7/ I will Bless the Lord at all Times
8/ O Sing unto the Lord a New Song
9/ I will Praise the Lord with my whole Heart
10/ I will Exalt Thee, my God
11/ Megalynarion of Saint Simon the Athonite

Last year’s self-titled album broke the Guiness world record for fastest selling debut classical album. That project sold over 1 million copies in the first seven weeks, and is still in the Billboard Classical Album Chart. I expect to see this project on the charts very soon.

Some of this new album was recorded in the legendary Abbey Road Studios and features the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Oratory School Schola, Coro, and The Irish Film Choir. They have chosen a selection of classical favorites like Haydn’s “Te Deum”, Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus”, plus hymns like “How Great Thou Art”, “Amazing Grace”, and more. The Priests have also composed their own piece, called “King of Kings”, and have included it on this album as well.

In my interview with Fr. Martin O’Hagan, I found that these three priests are very blessed, not only in talent, but also in doing their best to keep grounded amidst all the fanfare they have been receiving. All three work as parish priests when they are not singing, and that work, plus prayer keeps their feet on the ground. Fr. O’Hagan

The track listing is as follows:

How Great Thou Art
Te Deum
A Gaelic Blessing
Amazing Grace
Bist Du Bei Mir (When Thou Art Near)
Benedictus
Stabat Mater
Laudamus Te
Ave Verum Corpus
King Of Kings
Lift Thine Eyes (From Elijah)
Silent Night
The Lord’s Prayer
Bi Iosa Im Chroise
You’ll Never Walk Alone

Harmony is available at Amazon.com as well as on iTunes.

Visit the official website of The Priests.



Copyright 2009 Jim Logue

Glenn told me he had attended a private Mass in the Papal Apartments with the Holy Father and about 25 other people. The Pope greeted him afterward, and Glenn told him that his chorale would be performing for him that afternoon at the Papal Audience. Later, after the audience, as Glenn and the choir were standing by the barricades, the Pope came over to Glenn and shook his hand and praised him for the choir and the beautiful music they had sung. That encounter sealed their fate–they had to keep going beyond Rome with this choir. That was on June 1, 1999.

Glenn and their choir have released several CD’s of their performances, and have performed again this year in Rome, and have sung at Lincoln Center in New York City. Their concerts are not just the choir singing — they are musical plays. They have a number of programs they perform at various locations. For example, the Lincoln Center performance on November 7th was called “The Hidden Heart”, and is based on the life of newly-canonized St. Jeanne Jugan.

The Chorale has released their first Christmas CD, entitled “A Star Still Shines”, which comes from the lyrics of one of the songs, “A Wiseman’s Carol”. There are some familiar Christmas favorites here, plus some original compositions by Glenn. Some of the favorites include a “Christmas Hymn Medley”, which features “O Come All Ye Faithful”, “Away in a Manger”, and “Angels We Have Heard on High”, as well as “Silent Night” and “The First Noel”. Original selections include “A Wiseman’s Carol”, “Christmas in Heaven”, “Everybody has a Guardian Angel”, and more. There are 13 songs altogether.

This is a wonderful project from a very talented group of singers. I recommend that you listen to them, and try to get to one of their live performances.

Visit GlennMohrChorale.com to learn more.

Copyright 2009 Jim Logue

Now, this CD includes some of the Latin hymns from Pax, like Panis Angelicus, Ave Verum Corpus, and Dona Nobis Pacem, as well as Christmas favorites What Child is This, Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard on High, O Holy Night,, as well as the title track, A Mother, A Child. There are 11 tracks altogether.

I was very impressed with the quality of the recording and with Eileen’s voice. She gives the songs a quiet beauty and strength that shows the faith that guides her to record this music. One of the difficulties in receiving music in radio is that I often get cd’s that promise beauty but fall short. No such problem with this CD. The songs sound great–I would be happy to put this CD in my car and crank the volume up!

Visit EileenCarrMusic.com to learn more about Eileen and her music.

Copyright 2009 Jim Logue

The Interior Castle is made of five members of the Mazzei family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Francine, Theresa, Loretta, and Michael (all brother and sisters), and their Mom, Edith.

With such exquisite five-part harmonies, they take on classical standards like And the Glory of the Lord by George Frederick Handel; Latin hymns such as Adeste Fidelis and O Sanctissima, Italian songs like Dormi Non Piangere, and original composition like Holy Child and the title track, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

This is yet another CD that I enjoy in my car nice and loud. The instrumentation on the Interior Castle’s CD’s is superb, and the harmonies are perfect. Not a note out of place. As a musician, I know what it sounds like if one voice is off even just slightly. It’s like petting a dog the wrong way. That does not happen on this or any of the Castle’s albums. The harmonies are absolutely perfect, according to my ears.

Visit TheInteriorCastle.com to learn more about The Interior Castle and their music and their music studio in Pittsburgh, Pa.



Copyright 2009 Jim Logue

David is a truly international artist and has performed all over the world. One of the most interesting aspects of this album for me is the wide variety of styles portrayed throughout. Most albums Ive reviewed on the show tend to lean towards a single genre Celtic, folk, or rock pop but Davids album is the first where I hear a lot of elements of Latin music in addition to jazz, pop, and Celtic. Lyrically, this album has a straightforward message and his call to action is very evident. The album leaves you with no question as what were called to do as Christians.

Overall the album is upbeat. There are some slower tracks on the album such as Its love and The promise. There’s a lot of orchestration on the album soaring strings, horns, chimes, and more and my only criticism of the album is that sometimes its a little too much orchestration I think I would have liked to have heard at least a couple of tracks that were more acoustic and stripped down.

Overall, its a very uplifting album with a message we all need today and I commend David Patrick Bryan on his fourth album. If you are interested in checking out David’s music go to DavidPatrickBryan.com.

Reviewed by Rob Ayoub

As I read more about Patrice and her music, that’s when I realized just how inspired she was. Patrice sits at the piano and plays. The music you hear on the CD is improvised. Patrice admits that some of the songs do stick and she can come back to some of the songs. Others are simply spoken through her and are never heard again. This improvisational style is the key thing that sets this album apart for me. Many of the tracks on this album are very melodic and its amazing when you realize that many of these songs were played in a one hour sitting.

I have tremendous respect for Patrice’s fresh approach to music ministry. She does play for services and out in public, in fact I know she was at a conference in Dallas recently. I am personally of fan of improvisation and to hear this album to know the story behind it reminds me that all music is a gift. I feel like sometimes music ministers get so caught up in the recording process that they sometimes lose the energy and the spirit that brought them into music in the first place. Patrice’s music is a reminder to me as to what it means to be filled by the Spirit.

Reviewed by Rob Ayoub

This album was produced and recorded both in Nashville and California by Andy Allen and Ron Robinson. The quality of this project far exceeds what one might expect from a debut album. There is a common myth about Catholic music many listeners claim that it doesn’t sound professional enough – but albums like Beautiful Brokenness go a long way towards dispelling that myth. There is talent on this album, lots of great instrumental work guitars, bass and drums lay a solid foundation for Sues warm vocals.

There’s plenty of emotional and lyrical variety on this CD. Songs like Parce Domine, Sanctify Us, and Full of Grace all speak of mercy, grace, and forgiveness but they approach the topics in a heartfelt and personal way. The CD doesn’t ever feel stale, each track being additional insight into Sue’s life.

If you are looking for a contemporary Catholic artist with a rock/pop sound that will keep you involved in the CD for start to finish then check out Sue Peters. Sue is in tune with contemporary music and has a very real story to share that can touch you deeply and still remind of the many blessings God gives us. Sue’s new CD and music can be found at SuePetersMusic.com (online store) and MySpace.com/SuePetersMusic.



Reviewed by Rob Ayoub

Singing the lead vocals is Dew, a young lady originally from Tinidad, who now resides in the UK. She sings annually at the New Dawn Conference, a UK Catholic Festival, as well as other functions.

The songs reflect a variety of themes – “Awake Awake” is a praise song in honor of God, praising His Holy Name. The song “From Far And Wide” was composed for our Blessed Mother, Mary. There are two verions–the original and an acoustic version. The song “Temple” is a Eucharistic song, encouraging people to “Come into My Temple”. “Come Into My World” speaks of our desire for God to come into our lives. “Angel” is a beautiful instrumental piece, with a guitar solo by Paul Griffin.

This 6-song EP is very well-crafted, and Dew’s ethereal voice makes this a beautiful tribute to God.

Track Listing:

1. Awake Awake
2. From Far & Wide
3. Come Into My World
4. Temple
5. Angel
6. From Far & Wide (Acoustic version)

Visit Vision-Music.biz to learn more.

Featuring DEW, Lyrics by Stanley Jamieson
Music by Paul Griffin
Produced by Vision UK 2009 – www.vision-music.biz



Reviewed by Jim Logue, Jr.

For those unfamiliar with the Theology of the Body, it was a series of lectures given by Pope John Paul II, upon arrival to his pontificate, about understanding sex–in all its fullness–in light of the Catholic Gospel. George Weigel, the biographer of Pope John Paul II, called this series a “theological time-bomb” which would soon “reshap[e] the way Catholics think about our embodiedness as male and female, our sexuality, our relationships with each other, our relationships with God–even God himself.” (Forward, Theology of the Body Explained, Christopher West).

Disseminating such knowledge to the level that a non-theologian can grasp its truths is hard enough for an author or a public speaker… but a rock group? Music has a language all its own, and popular music disseminates thoughts with a series of sentence fragments�oftentimes speaking to the lowest-common denominator, building to a repetitive and hook-y chorus, with the option to incorporate a bridge�an alternate melodic and lyrical detour�if need be. Popular music today can be used as an effective teaching tool, especially when the music gives the lyrics a voicing that provides emotional depth to the cut-and-dry images contained in the lyrics.

Musically, Critical Mass is up to the challenge. After following this band for many years, I believe this is the best they’ve ever sounded. There is clarity and musicality in its guitar riffs, accompanied by solid production chops that are equal to what I hear on secular radio. The style veers from hard-rock (”Body is a Language,” “No Consequence”), to joyous pop-rock (”Alone,” “Walk You Home”) to rock balladry (”Devotion”) to praise and worship (”Body and Blood (Adoremus version)”). Regarding this last song, a reworking of an earlier song, it stands head and shoulders above the praise and worship musical landscape, improving upon the original with a wonderfully ethereal tone, and incorporating traditional Latin lyrics to the final product. I really appreciate it when Critical Mass lets it all out, taking musical chances and coming up golden.

Lyrically, David Wang and company have stretched their craft and raised the bar; there are stories here that speak to teenagers about the sexual permissiveness in society (”No Consequence”), the Steve Taylor-esque slam on artificial contraception (”Contraception Interception”), and the joys of committed celibacy (”Alone”). You may be hard-pressed to find a musical project that works this hard to shine the light of God’s grace with this much minute detail in the darkened corners of our sexually saturated society.

Taking into account that this is Critical Mass’s finest musical testament to date, with deep, detailed lyrics that are this faithful to a pertinent and applicable aspect of Catholic teaching today, I am hesitant to say that, to my ears, the marriage between lyrics and music do not entirely work.

One of the problems is that the melodies sometimes project an anger, a roughness, that runs contrary to the tone of some songs. Granted, this isn’t a problem when singing about the corruption of today’s media, or the problems within artificial contraception, but hearing the angry guitar riffs for “Friend” (a plea for compassion) and “Body is a Language”, which lays the foundation for the glorious teaching of the Theology of the Body, is disconcerting. Not to mention that most of the lyrics are barely audible underneath the band’s wall of sound (admittedly not a problem for those who have the liner notes on hand).

But even reading the lyrics and the liner notes, you read words that are more likely associated with PhD dissertations than in popular rock songs. Phenomenology. Phylogeny. Manichaeism. Pyres. There is a certain novelty in hearing such words used in a popular song format (in which the first of these words was vocally truncated into four syllables). In fairness, the band tries very hard to explain these concepts to the average listener in the liner notes; but it’s still got a ways to go.

Even though I have reservations about the final product, I wish all bands choose to not play it safe, and take the educated risks that Critical Mass has done. They ought to be commended for helping advance Catholic music and raise the listener up with knowledge and wisdom of our faith. This is most especially true for the sonic blast that accompanied this theological time bomb of the Theology of the Body.

You can purchase Body Language at the Critical Mass website, CatholicRock.com.

Reviewed by Nick Alexander

The music of Sarah Hart is generally classified as folk/rock or folk/pop. I would simply call it delightful. The slick Nashville production, which I find sometimes drains the heart right out of a project, serves the album well. The instrumentations are rich and authentic.

I also personally love it when a CD has a concept and it is carried through the entire album, and SaintSong, for the most part, does just that. In the age when more and more music is purchased digitally one track at a time, it is nice to hear a CD that is really best heard in its entirely. With the enhanced CD including printable devotions to complement the songs, there is all the more reason to own a physical copy. The only misfire of this great concept is the inclusion of “Our Blessing Cup (Psalm 116)”. Although King David’s words might be well considered as words of a saint, this well-known “Mass psalm” seems out of place on this album.

SaintSong by Sarah Hart is available from SpiritAndSong.com as well as iTunes.

Reviewed by Fr. Kent O’Connor