TUNES OF THE COUNTRY MUSIC PATRIOTS

Since I started writing, almost exclusively for awhile, about recent Patriotic/Gospel music, I've been bombarded with some wonderful music. So much, in fact, that I've found very little time to actually WRITE about it! I've spent a lot of time listening to these great songs, and great artists, though. And so, due to this explosion of new CD's and even Video tapes that I've received in such a short span of time , I've decided to take a few minutes to try to fill you in on some of the BEST ones. There were an awful lot of "best" ones…seems every time I heard a new one, it was better than the last. But time is short, and I know these artists have been waiting patiently for the review I PROMISED to write for them. So, ok, here goes. I won't be able to cover them all, but I HAVE enjoyed them all. I'll try real hard to give you a run-down of some of the songs I've found to be the 'cream of the crop'.

First let me mention someone who I've reviewed in the past. His name is Ron Wayne Atwood, and this special CD is made up of only 4 songs. But these four songs are good ones, and worth the time you'll spend listening to them. But the tune that stands out most, for me, anyway, is "SPIRITS TOGETHER", written by Allen Greene of Columbia TX, and performed by Ron. It was truly from the heart of the songwriter, and when you listen to the lyrics, you'll know exactly what he was feeling about that tragic September day in 2001. Ron then made it his own with his talented singing voice, and again, putting HIS heart into it. Hey, when ya got TWO hearts bringin' you a song of the spirit of man, what more can you ask?? The title of this little CD is "Spirits Together", and if you visit Ron's website, I bet you'll find out how to obtain your own copy.

The next very talented artist is a young lady from the EAST, by the name of Vicki Lee. Her album, "Touch of Life" is a Gospel album and contains 15 great songs. Patriotically speaking, though, Vicki has been honored many times for her song "Don't Let Us Fall", lyrics by Laura Smith/Mary Cote, music by Vicki Lee. "Don't……." pays tribute to the victims of Sept. 11, and much of the profit for this CD will go to the Disaster Relief Fund New York. Another beautiful and touching song of love and compassion for the children taken during that terrible time, is "Angels On Golden Wings", Lyrics by Laura Smith, Music by Vicki Lee. I'm tellin' ya, folks, it gave me goose bumps! I hope you'll pick up a copy of the album at Vicki's website and see for yourself.

Andrew Dean blew me away with, not only a new CD, but also a copy of his video where he sings "God Bless America". I don't often get videos, but I'm always thrilled to receive them! Thanks, Andrew! His album, "Praise and Glory", is filled with gospel and Patriotic music. He sings the traditional ones like "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful", along with original AND old gospel songs, such as "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace". I liked his heartfelt rendition of one of his own tunes, "In a Mothers Eyes"…a song that talks about the mother of a soldier. Thanks for sending me your work, Andrew, I enjoyed it a lot.

Paul Mateki also sent me a single called "Our Children Are Asking". This is a song that every parent out there should be makin' note of. Since Sept. ll and everything that's followed, this song addresses the very basic heart and soul of us all. Our CHILDREN. You NEED to hear this one, if you hear no other! And it was a family affair in the making too, with Paul's wife Helen doing back up and the speaking portion of the song. Written by Paul Mateki and Rhonnie Sheuerman, I highly recommend you try to find this one! Paul has his own website, as does Rhonnie, so I'm sure you'll be able to scout it out.

I can't close this review without telling you about another terrific artist I recently discovered through a fellow country-music journalist. This artist, Sandy Soffe, is primarily a gospel singer and writer, and she found herself overwhelmed by the recent tragedies of 9/11 and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. From that sense of loss and fear, she found herself able to sing about hope and recovery. In the music, she tells us the stories of the coming together of a great nation (OUR story, really)…and also of a mothers love for her son.
The songs, all of which you will find at her website, are just too beautiful to miss. She and her fellow producer, Kathy Foley, have put together some of the MOST beautiful and touching videos I've ever seen. EVER!! You really need to go to the website http://www.Link4U.com and find this wonderful music. "We Are One" is available by mail, as a special CD with video. The other one that stands out in my mind, is "I Kissed My Son Goodbye". I guarantee, if you have even ONE tear-duct in your eye, you WILL cry. And the fact that they did videos for us to watch as we listen to this amazing music, is worth more than any CD you'll ever buy at a store. Heck, I've even downloaded it to my desktop, and now I can listen/watch it any time I want to! Which is OFTEN!

These are just a few of the patriotic songs I've gotten in the mail lately, folks, and I hope to tell you about a few more as soon as I can gather my thoughts and get them up on the website. For now, DO visit the sites I mentioned, check out the songs, and see if you don't agree that our group of independent country music artists, aren't the best dang performers and writers in the whole world!! I know, that's a big claim…but hey, it's only…………….