BitterSweetLife

Throughout my lifetime, I’ve carefully examined those statements that pass as “folk” wisdom, testing them for accuracy. Mostly, they aren’t true, with a few exceptions like Murphy’s Law and “When it rains, it pours.”

Recent events, however, have added a new phrase to the stable of time-tested axioms: “Good things come in twos.”

Hard on the heels of my recent book deal came an opportunity I’d never imagined possible, even in my wildest dreams. That’s right.

I’m now the proud possessor of a new CD deal. At this point, the contract is just for one album, but who knows how things could turn out. Now that I have my foot in the door… Squint Entertainment, heads up. Sony & EMI records, look out. Soon you too will be sending me free CDs.

As I said, immediately following the rush of the free book deal, I was contacted by young singer/songwriter Laurel Fisher via email. Noting this blog’s increasing notoriety, Laurel bombarded it with glowing adjectives, complimented my wife’s photogenic-ness, gave me props for an article published on Relevant…and offered me a CD deal.

After 2 seconds of careful deliberation, I was in.

Now, having just completed my “maiden listen”* of Laurel’s debut album, I’m savoring my free CD deal like Ethiopian coffee with lemon bouquet.

I would characterize Start Small, Hope Big as a poppy Contemporary Christian album with undertones of Praise & Worship, Gospel, and a few rock touches—an appreciably eclectic undertaking for a first endeavor. The sound is keyboard-based and smoothly produced. A look at the chorus of the title song-

Start small, hope big
Trusting God to come through again
In spite of the odds and probability
God worked miraculously
Because they dared to believe
Start small…and hope big

-gives one a sense of the album’s flavor. Themes include trust, pain, faith, love, wrapped around some Bible-inspired songs, most notably a couple of Psalm-based tracks. The album’s best shot at the coveted “Bittersweet” adjective appears in “The Shape of You”: “Is this what it feels like to be broken?/Is this what it feels like to be used?/Is this what it feels like to be molded/ Into the shape of You?”

While I’m bound by honesty to admit that CC isn’t my favorite musical genre, Laurel gets props for a solid, God-centered first effort.

What I appreciate most about my free CD deal is not, ironically, its gratis stature. Rather, Laurel is directing a portion of all CD proceeds to Home of Hope, a children’s ministry in Bangladesh. It’s no mark on Laurel’s musical abilities to say that the heart intent here ought to get top billing. Nice work.

Book deals, CD deals. One can only wonder, appreciatively, what will come next?


* I can sense the impending sarcastic remarks. Well, go ahead and launch ‘em. I don’t wear pink or lavender, but I am confident enough in my masculinity to use feminine figures of speech. ;)