Singer-Songwriter Cherie Call makes a strong showing in her sophomore release "The Ocean in Me." This is a collection of mostly gentle acoustic guitar ballads, with one upbeat piece that gets the electric guitars strumming and the toes tapping. There are ten tracks in all.

The album starts off on a gentle note with the title track "The Ocean in Me." The lyrics speak of life's disappointments but God sees the big picture we can't see. "And I have been the friend when I wished to be the girl…He shows the ocean to me/He sees the ocean in me."

"One Good Woman" speaks of the importance of genealogy work and the things she wonders about her descendents. "Will there ever be someone who reads my name and wonders if I laughed/Or if I believed in Jesus, or if my heart were ever broken."

Missionary work gets a nod in "A Secret I Can't Keep." One of the more upbeat pieces, the chorus repeats the joyful refrains: "Somebody loves and knows my name/I'm filled with joy that I can't contain/Somebody loves me the way that I am/And it's something I just can't keep all to myself."

"I Wouldn't Last a Day" testifies of the need for Christ in her life. "I couldn't live without Your love…But without You/I wouldn't last a day." Cherie collaborated with Tyler Castleton on this song and it's interesting how similar in message it is to a song performed by Christian Contemporary quartet Avalon titled "Can't Live a Day."

The courage to "Try Again" is explored in the fifth track. This song is one of the best songs lyrically on a group that is good. One can feel their heart responding to the familiar themes of childhood fears, mature heartbreak and the pain of being imperfect.

"More Than Enough" is the one piece that rocks and is similar in message to Gladys Knight's "Everybody." The lyrics touch on the importance of connecting to life's downtrodden and loving one another. This up-tempo song found my toes dancing as I felt the need to get up and dance with my children. A great song.

"Prayers In a Car" is a sweet and tender love song to the car of her youth and how any car can become the vehicle for prayer. "And I've pulled to the side to whisper prayers while cars sped past/And for a moment, those tinted windows were stained glass."

The value of being "No Ordinary Girl" is explored and is likely to resonate with the legions of Latter-day Saint Young Women who are striving to put their spiritual values first in their lives.

In a similar vein, the value of being true to oneself is touched on in "Somebody Else's Shoes." "I've been walking too long in somebody else's shoes/I've been tripping on the laces, running into empty spaces/And I've been hanging around in places that hide the truth/But I'm not walking anymore/In those shoes."

The closing song "All That I Can Give" really speaks to the positive way Cherie is trying to use her talents. "And all that I can give Him is my voice/To whisper His name, to sing and rejoice/And it couldn't be enough if I praised Him/Every day I lived/But it's all that I can give."

Cherie Call reminds me of Joni Mitchell. Her songs don't always rhyme. She clearly writes from her life's experiences and explores some of the emotions that are too difficult to package in neat little pop songs. As a lyricist, she's superb. As a guitarist, she's terrific and when you put her voice, lyrics and guitar together, you get some wonderful, touching music. The bonus here is she is a Latter-day Saint and it's easy to spot her beliefs sprinkled throughout her lyrics. She's not really exploring any particular doctrine, but what she does touch on, the lyrics are appropriately respectful.

This album rates a 4.5 for musicianship, production values and lyrics. I think the album is exactly the kind of uplifting music the General Authorities are encouraging. It's contemporary, will please folk fans and will have special appeal to the more introspective ladies.

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Dacia A. Blodgett-Williams

1. The Ocean In Me
2. One Good Woman
3. A Secret I Can't Keep
4. I Wouldn't Last a Day
5. Try Again
6. More Than Enough
7. Prayers In a Car
8. No Ordinary Girl
9. Somebody Else's Shoes
10. All The I Can Give