A Review of the CD
"Morning Light"
by Paula Joy Welter

This review is written by Kevin McCarthy, 10/98
"Kevin and Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews"
http://www.icogitate.com/~celticfolkmusic/index.html
mailto:celticfolkmusic@icogitate.com

Love, loss, anger, sadness, gratitude---Paula Joy Welter puts her head and heart on display for all to hear in her initial CD "Morning Light." Offering straightforward lyrics and imagery, this is mainly a quiet, Sunday morning-type release yet it contains a power that forces the conscientious listener into examining the condition of his or her relationships with loved ones and friends.

"Joanna's Gift," a revelatory offering that takes an everyday, mundane occurrence (shopping) and turns it into a moment of comforting human connection, is the strongest song here. Welter sings:

"...Sometimes strangers touch our lives
Like soothing rain from summer skies.
Sometimes strangers have a way
Of hearing what we cannot say.
Some have flowers, some have none,
But the fragrance and the sorrow shared
Are common cords that bind us all as one..."

On another strong cut, "A Sky With No Blue,"  Welter mourns the loss of a relationship:

"...And love without kisses is like a child with no wishes,
And me without you is a sky with no blue..."

Recalling a vexing encounter with proselytizing evangelists in "Blessed Be The Fool," Welter philosophically counters their dogmatic rigidness with:

"...Oh, life is a long walk toward wisdom,
And straight is the path of the steadfast believers,
But twisted the road of the questioning pilgrim;
The truth is a master at clever disguise;
Blessed be the fool who dares to ask why..."

"...All I could say was, "The god that I know
Has room for you both in the Kingdom above..."

"Long Ago" laments the loss of "escaping" to new and sometimes exotic places as a child through the reading of such wonderful books like "A Secret Garden" and "Beautiful Joe." Welter sings:

"...Oh, time was my friend then, but now it's my rival;
Gone are the chances to daydream in trees.
My life is now spent in the game of survival,
But those childhood stories linger on in my dreams..."

"...Yet no matter how badly it ends
You never forget, no, you never forget
That kiss before the fall..."

Welter possess a solid voice and Nina Gerber provides superb production values here, in addition to her guitar work. Other musicians featured include: Karen Almquist, David Balakrishnan, Cary Black, Joe Goldmark, Dorothy Hawkinson, Laurie Lewis, Vicki Randle, John Reischman, Sally Van Meter, and Kris Yenney.

Track List:

• Each Brings A Light (5:13)
• The Kiss Before The Fall (4:49)
• A Sky With No Blue (4:32)
• Joanna's Gift (4:42)
• No Matter If... (4:21)
• Blessed Be The Fool (5:38)
• Calling You Home (5:19)
• Long Ago (4:36)
• Silence is Their Only Refrain (4:56)
• A Promise On The Breeze (5:23)

Copyright © 1998-2008 Kevin & Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews. All rights reserved.

Ownership, copyright and title of this folk music CD review belongs to me, Kevin McCarthy. Ownership, copyright and title are not transferable or assignable to you or other parties regardless of how or if you or other parties use, copy, save, backup, store, retrieve, transmit, display, publish, modify or share the CD review in whole or in part. Please read the "Terms, Conditions and Disclaimer" section on my web site for additional information about using, quoting, or reprinting this CD review.

Send inquiries to: celticfolkmusic@icogitate.com.

Return to Kevin and Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews home page.

To return to the last web page you visited, click the "Back" button that appears immediately below: