Worship Him AloneDeborah Hightower

Deborah Hightower takes her listeners to new heights on her debut CD. Opening with the semi-acoustic "Be Magnified" the pretty voice of Hightower blends well with the haunting instrumentation of the tune. Hightower takes this classic song to a new level with her smooth and rich vocals. Next is the tune "Believe" on which she is paired with Hugh Hession who is a great vocalist and also her producer. The two blend well together and serve up warm and lovely ballads as he is featured on several of the songs. Full of the praise and worship songs that we have come to love Hightower's soft and light voice soars on all of them and she showcases her strengths on this ballad heavy project. Other songs of note are "Heart of Worship" and the stand out classic praise track "Breathe." To learn more about this wonderful artist log on to www.deborahhightower.com

Classic Hymns and Worship from the Heart Martha Yasuda

For a while the beauty of performing gospel music simply with instruments was greatly ignored by the masses but with the help of violinist such as Yasuda, instrumental gospel is finding a listening audience once again. Classic Hymns begins with the wonderful hymn "Crown Him with Many Crowns." The soothing string arrangements of Yasuda on this song take full flight and immediately lift the soul of the listener. "I Surrender All" follows and is one of the disc's shining tunes. Yasuda is joined by Patrick Walker also on violin and the two work magic on this standard with their well honed performance. The old favorite ballad of "Amazing Grace" is a must listen for on it Yasuda is joined on piano by Michael Crow and the spirit of the Lord is felt through each note. The CD has tunes of worship that were improvised during the performance such was the case with Amazing Grace. Yasuda says in her notes "Each player relies on the Sprit of God to play through them, the Holy Spirit providing "His” music score." Well all I have to say is well done for the Holy Spirit and thank God he used Yasuda and friends as instruments to let his musical talent shine through. Find out more about this gifted artist at www.yasudamusic.com


RRReasons and Rhymes

With rock bands like Audio Adrenaline taking a bow out of the business this year, die hard rockers might like to know that there are other bands on the scene aiming to step up to the mantel and move Christian rock to the forefront. Such is the case with the upstart band Reasons and Rhymes. Opening up with a rock-infused, power pumping beat lead singer John Stanek sings of making the "First Step" in your decision to get to know Christ. He tells us that we must "admit we are wrong" and of course this is hard to do but it's something that must take place in order to get closer to God. The tune "That Song" moves the group to the folk-rock genre and brings to mind a Third Day feel. With lyrics "No room to shadow when your hopes are high, that doesn't matter you still have to try" this tune encourages us all that we can still keep going even if we have been at a low point before. We can make it through the tough times. Finally the ballad Smile, about how a smile can lift the spirts of individuals finishes out this 4 track CD. The group made up of Stanek, guitarist T.J. Weiler and drummer Ben Forsberg formed in 2005. The have made an impressive beginning with this project. Find out more about Reasons and Rhymes at reasonsandrhymes.com