From: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org (believers-digest) To: believers-digest@smoe.org Subject: believers-digest V11 #24 Reply-To: believers@smoe.org Sender: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk believers-digest Friday, March 9 2007 Volume 11 : Number 024 In Today's believer's digest: ----------------- Review of "The Gospel Truth" in Folkwax [Jean Rossner ] The Article ["Ron Rosen" ] Re: Review of ["Kellie Lin Knott" ] Re: The Article [Tim Dunleavy ] Re: Review of "The Gospel Truth" in Folkwax [Carolyn Andre ] Folkwax Article ["Ron Rosen" ] Re: Folkwax Article (Almost forgot) ["Ron Rosen" ] Re: Folkwax Article ["Kellie Lin Knott" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:47:58 -0500 From: Jean Rossner Subject: Review of "The Gospel Truth" in Folkwax Mostly positive review, although not enthusiastic (and, I thought, somewhat clueless): http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/albumreviews.cfm?#R2158 HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 09:07:57 -0500 (GMT-05:00) From: Tim Dunleavy Subject: Re: Review of That article requires a user ID and password to read it - could you post it here, please? - -Tim >Mostly positive review, although not enthusiastic (and, I thought, >somewhat clueless): > >http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/albumreviews.cfm?#R2158 HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 06:15:11 -0800 From: "Ron Rosen" Subject: The Article Musical Theology, (03/07/07) The press release for Susan Werner's latest release, The Gospel Truth, states that it is "Quite possibly the first 'agnostic gospel' album." I guess the foregoing statement poses the question as to whether the wording is unintentional or deliberate. An element of doubt certainly pervades the wording, making it a perfect fit when you consider the raison d'jtre of agnosticism is non-commitment to a belief in the existence of any gods or deities. Scepticism and doubt hinge for the agnostic on the unanswerable "big question" of whether God exists? Werner tests that question throughout this song collection without drawing any positive conclusion(s). In terms of sound "(Why Is Your) Heaven So Small," by way of presenting an east-west panorama, overlaps the sounds of sitar and slide guitar, while Werner's words challenge the narrow-minded belief espoused by certain hellfire and brimstone religious advocates - "Excuse me sir, what did you say/You shout so loud it's hard to tell" - that the precondition for St. Peter to unlock the pearly gates and allow entry is that one has had to have led a strictly holy and spotless life. Surely a life sans the belief in a deity and devoted to acts of goodness and mercy is equally deserving of entry? In terms of the haves vs. the have-nots, one practical method of at least being considered for entry is the act of purposely assisting those who "have not." The foregoing pretty much sets out the premise of the joyous, hand-clapping, foot-stomping "Help Somebody," a Gospel number on which Werner is accompanied by the voices of the Wilmington Chester Mass Choir. The principle tenet of "Forgiveness" we are told must be to love one's fellow man. In verses one and two Werner word-paints instances of negative human interaction while in the third and closing verse she expresses the hope that one day "He" may show mankind how to truly love. Each verse opens with the question "How do you love those/Who will never love you" and the personal thought occurs that surely the saddest manifestation of this is the historically repeated contention that God is on our side (not yours!). "Did Trouble Me" finds Werner engaging with the personal face of faith - you know, a conscience that constantly pricks and prods. In the closing verse however "did" becomes "will" as she poetically contemplates the future with "My Lord will trouble me/Whatever I do and wherever I go/In the whisper of the wind in the rhythm of a song/To keep me on the path where I belong." In the lyric to "Sunday Mornings" this one-time Iowa farm girl, raised in a German Catholic family, recalls the "distant memory" of regular church attendance with her family. The closing verse, set in recent times, finds Werner sat in church where a voice chastises "You ask too many questions, dear" to which Werner responds "You ask too few," resulting in the final admission "That's why I still don't know quite want to do/On Sunday mornings." "Our Father," subtitled "The New Revised Edition" and featuring additional lyrics by Werner's longtime assistant Jane Paul, takes a side swipe at "creepy (television?) preachers," the single-sex Catholic priesthood, and finally, self-righteous God-is-standing-by-my-side politicians. The opening verse of "Lost My Religion" finds Werner revealing that at age ten she turned her back on her faith and "Never really got it back" and at the close, although not specifically defined, she contends "I found a new religion/Down at the corner store." While the song's narrator acknowledges the human emotions of love and loss and expresses genuine wonder for earth and the universe as creations, "Don't Explain It Away" also advocates that one never ignore "that still small voice inside you." The sing-a-long "I Will Have My Portion" is cheerfully upbeat while "Probably Not," which follows, eventually breaks into a goodtime-sounding Gospel melody and both find Werner making her case for being agnostic. In the former, based on a life lived fairly and honesty, she states her claim for a share of the earth's riches, while the latter questions the existence of an all-seeing divine being. The closing track, "Together," earnestly expresses the hope that the nations of mankind can resolve their differences and live in harmony. Amen to that. While the CD liner appears to list eleven tracks, hang around for the sixty seconds-plus of silence that ensues after the close of "Together" and you'll find Werner's twelfth contention. My guess is that the title of Susan Werner's contemplation on what lies beyond this earthy plane might be "(There Must Be) Something." Ever the curious inquisitor of Werner's lyric, considering the aforementioned premise (and for that matter, the foundation on which this song collection is constructed), closes with the optimistic and incomplete contention "I don't really know, but I would like to think..." Irrespective of which side of the religious divide you choose to sit on, lyrically The Gospel Truth is a balanced theology that avoids brow beating and/or preaching to the listener. Although the liner does not state where, I'd guess that this album was recorded in Philadelphia at MorningStar Studios and this collection was co-produced by Werner and award-winning producer Glenn Barratt, owner of the foregoing facility. Arthur Wood is a founding editor of FolkWax HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 09:04:31 -0600 From: "Kellie Lin Knott" Subject: Re: Review of it's free to sign up to get the user id and password for folkwax, and takes about 60 seconds. i just signed up! On 3/8/07, Tim Dunleavy wrote: > That article requires a user ID and password to read it - could you post it here, please? > -Tim HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:05:13 -0500 (GMT-05:00) From: Tim Dunleavy Subject: Re: The Article Thanks, Ron. - -----Original Message----- >From: Ron Rosen >Sent: Mar 8, 2007 9:15 AM >To: Believers@smoe.org >Subject: The Article HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:26:38 -0600 From: Carolyn Andre Subject: Re: Review of "The Gospel Truth" in Folkwax At 07:47 AM 3/8/2007, Jean Rossner wrote: >Mostly positive review, although not enthusiastic (and, I thought, >somewhat clueless): Thanks for the link. I get Folkwax, but don't read it regularly enough to have caught that. I found myself bogged down by way too many words. Plus, despite my penchant for getting caught up in lyrics (and sometimes overanalyzing them :-), I strongly dislike alleged "reviews" which insist on going through details of the lyrics for every single track on a disc. Such reviews rarely leave me with a feeling for the album. It's almost as if they miss the point by focussing on the leaves on the trees in the forest. It seems as if Arthur Wood got sidetracked by looking at the details. Personally, I'm enjoying the album a lot (in conjunction with the new Mary Chapin Carpenter - The Calling, and the UK release of the expanded Joan Baez Ring Them Bells), hearing new discoveries with every listen. A lot of thinking, too. Although I'm not as taken by Susan's use of her "lighter"/breathier voice for emphasis as much as she does; I know I'll enjoy it in live performance, but somehow I never feel it "works" on singers' recordings. Regards, Carolyn Andre - --- candre@house-of-music.com Chicago, IL / USA Support Independent Music! Use the Internet http://house-of-music.com HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 14:30:39 EST From: PBacoustic@aol.com Subject: Re: CD note Guess I'm a little surprised that "My Strange Nation" didn't make it onto the new CD... it still fits the overall theme.... Sorry 'bout your car, Kellie!!!!! Paul ****************************************************** "Vive Bene, Bici Adagiato, Sorriso Molto" [Live Well, Ride Reclined, Smile A Lot] O \---O O\---O O\---O ******************************************************


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AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 15:57:43 -0800 From: "Anna Creech" Subject: Re: CD note Since it's a free download, I suspect she decided to use the space for another song. On 3/8/07, PBacoustic@aol.com wrote: > > Guess I'm a little surprised that "My Strange Nation" didn't make it onto > the new CD... it still fits the overall theme.... HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 16:40:51 -0800 From: "Ron Rosen" Subject: Folkwax Article I have had occasion to read several articles in high school newspapers during the last couple years. Those articles are plagued by wordiness, self-consciousness, and, in general, writing that sounds like someone who doesn't understand good writing thinks good writing is supposed to sound like. Arthur Wood, who claims to be a founding editor of Folkwax, would fit well on the staff of a high school newspaper, although I'm probably unnecessarily offending many good high school writers. Given that, I was unable to digest or take seriously what, if anything, he said about The Gospel Truth. HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 16:46:22 -0800 From: "Ron Rosen" Subject: Re: Folkwax Article (Almost forgot) Arthur Wood: C- Hope you do better on the mid-term. HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 16:54:07 -0800 From: "Ron Rosen" Subject: Re: Folkwax Article In the interests of practicing what I preach, I realize that I used "like" twice in the below-quoted sentence. It should have read, "Those articles are plagued by wordiness, self-consciousness, and, in general, writing that sounds like someone who doesn't understand good writing thinks good writing is supposed to sound." > Those articles are plagued by wordiness, self-consciousness, and, in > general, writing that sounds like someone who doesn't understand good > writing thinks good writing is supposed to sound like. HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 19:09:40 -0600 From: "Kellie Lin Knott" Subject: Re: Folkwax Article I love you, Ron. ;) On 3/8/07, Ron Rosen wrote: > I have had occasion to read several articles in high school newspapers > during the last couple years. Those articles are plagued by wordiness, HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ End of believers-digest V11 #24 ******************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------- This has been a posting from the Susan Werner believers-digest To unsubscribe send mail to Majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe believers-digest" in the body of the message