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 Lauri
Carrigan rocks! I love this sophomore offering from the talented
singer/songwriter. She and colleague James Marsden capture so many
of my feelings and emotions as a mother and as a woman who suffers
from sometimes crippling bipolar tendencies.
The album gets off to a rhythmic
start with “There Will Come a Day,” in which she reassures the
listener that “There’s a better place/Where our Father waits…Hold on
to your faith/There will come a day.”
In “A Mother’s Heart,” James
Marsden captures the emotions a mother (or father) feels upon seeing
their newborn. I love this refrain: “It’s the first time I know my
life is worth giving/The first I’ve been so close to heaven’s
door/Now that I feel through a mother’s heart.” How many of us have
felt the same closeness to divinity at childbirth? Even the
unbelieving remark that they feel close to God when their children
are born. This song captures those elusive feelings perfectly.
Then comes my hands down
favorite on this album, “Out of the Ashes.” Lauri and James teamed
on this rocker that reminds us that we can always “Keep out of the
ashes, out of the darkness/Into his light.” I love everything about
this song: its pace, lyrics and her voice. It’s a great song worthy
of some serious airplay.
The gentle ballad “His Name Is
Jesus” comes next, with an almost hymn-like quality to its lyrics.
It’s definitely appropriate for modern worship. “His name is
Jesus/He came here to free us/The promised savior/As foretold by our
fathers/He’s my Redeemer/I’m a true believer/With every word He
speaks/My burdens melt away/His name is Jesus.”
The lovely arrangement of “Where
Can I Turn for Peace?-Precious Little Ones” comes next. I adore the
piano on this song, as well as the lovely rendition of a portion of
the comforting hymn. The song “Precious Little Ones” is Carrigan’s
own and I love the gentle reminder to see the divine worth of my
children.
My oldest child, a daughter,
loves “I’m Free!” She likes the words and the pace of the song. I
like it too. “But now I’m free/’Cause I know where I’m going/I’m
finding my way back home to you/Yes I’m free/’Cause a new light is
showing/I’m finding my way back home to you.”
Everyone needs a reminder that
we often need to go one step at a time and to endure our adversities
just a little longer and “Every Little Step” touches on these
concepts of the gospel.
I love how perfectly Lauri and
James capture the way only Christ can fill “That empty place in my
heart [that] was tailor made for you,” in the song “What I Feel.”
In “Standing at the Door,” the
duo teams with Jeannine Lasky to evoke the image of Christ waiting
at the door with open arms to us. I just love that image. So many
artists have painted this picture, trying to capture that joy and
love that can only be found in Christ’s arms.
The album ends with the tender
ballad “Thinking of You,” which was written by James about a baby
that passed the day he was born. It’s a beautiful reminder that
we’ll all be together again on the other side of the veil.
My only complaint about this
album is that there aren’t enough songs! I want more of Lauri! But
I’ll take the ten she’s graced us with this time out and look
forward to the third album I’m confident she’ll have to make by
popular demand!
Bottom line: Worth every penny,
this album belongs in every mother’s hands.
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Dacia A. Blodgett-Williams
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