LDSreview.net » Music

The Forgotten Carols tickets to go on sale October 4th!

Meredith — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:42:25 +0000

Don’t miss out on a holiday tradition: Michael McLean’s The Forgotten Carols. Tickets go on sale to the general public on October 4th.

For a list of dates and locations, visit Deseret Book’s website at www.DeseretBook.com/tickets.

CD Review: Mercy River by Mercy River

Meredith — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:08:10 +0000

[photopress:4996464.jpg,full,alignleft]They met while singing for Jenny Phillips, and now Soni Muller, Whitney Permann, and Brooke Stone have formed their own trio: Mercy River. They’ve just launched their freshman self-titled album, but the question is: does it make the grade?

Not living in Utah has some disadvantages, one of which is never hearing of musical artists until I receive a review copy of the CD. I did hear a few things through promotional e-mails about the new trio Mercy River, and I was excited thinking that it would be another fun group like Utah-born SheDaisy.

Imagine my surprise upon listening to the first song on the CD “You Make Us Want to Sing”. It’s absolutely NOT fun and pop-py like SheDaisy. Thinking that the other songs would be different, I continued listening only to realize that the songs are all the same. And boring.

Before I even looked at the CD insert, I knew that Jenny Phillips’ hand had been on the album. Sure enough, all of the songs were either written or co-written by Phillips. That’s not to say that Phillips’ isn’t talented, because she most certainly is. However, each CD that she releases is starting to sound exactly the same as the next one. Mercy River has the great misfortune of being just another one of Jenny Phillips’ CDs. There’s nothing unique about the voices that makes them different from any other group. Their harmonies are generic, their songs are bland, and frankly, the best thing they have going for them is their marketing director because their album photography is amazing.

If you’re a fan of Jenny Phillips, you’re definitely going to like Mercy River. But if you’re thinking that this is going to be a new and unique addition to LDS music, think again.

You can find Mercy River at LDS retailers near you or online at www.deseretbook.com. You can also visit Mercy River’s website at www.mercyrivermusic.com.

CD Review: Beautiful Life by Jenny Jordan Frogley

Meredith — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:38:38 +0000

[photopress:5005481_1.jpg,full,alignleft]She’s recorded vocals on over 100 albums and has been a special guest with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and now she’s releasing her sophomore album – Beautiful Life. Find out if Jenny Jordan Frogley’s album is up to snuff for this LDSreview.net critic!

Jenny Jordan Frogley is the voice you’ve heard on countless collaborative albums. I recognized her from Women of Destiny and The Best of EFY. More recently, she performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing amazing vocals in the song “Circle of Life”. She’s different from other LDS vocalists in the fact that she has an extremely powerful voice. It’s not meek and quiet like a lot of other LDS singers. That’s not to say it’s overly loud and irritating; quite the contrary – it’s beautiful.

I must be honest, however. Frogley’s album, Beautiful Life includes not only the new album, but also a free bonus disc with some of her best songs. I listened to the bonus disc first to see if I recognized any of the songs. Sure enough, hits like “His Hands” (from Kenneth Cope’s Greater than Us All), “A Woman’s Heart” (from Women of Destiny) and “These Are the Days” (from Best of EFY) triggered my memory (and my love) of Frogley’s voice. Next, I popped in the new album only to discover the songs from the bonus disc playing! I don’t know if this is a mistake on the reviewer’s copy that LDSreview.net received or if it’s a problem with production, but I was very disappointed. I have listened to the album on Frogley’s website (see below), and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Dare I say she sounds a bit like Kelly Clarkson? That’s a huge compliment, in my book.

You can find Beautiful Life at an LDS retailer near you, or online at www.deseretbook.com. For information on Jenny Jordan Frogley, visit www.JennyJordanFrogley.com.