Singable, thoughtful, sometimes humorous contemporary folk that wanders back and forth across the imaginary boundary between secular and sacred music.

11 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, FOLK: Folk Pop



Details:
Thoughtful, Often Spiritual Contemporary Folk

What does one say about the genre of a collection that contains both exalted themes like faith and justice, alongside with songs that are just about missing home, falling in love, and arguing with your girlfriend? What do you say about a CD that puts tracks that are clearly religious (in a progressive sort of way) next to tracks that use language like âWhat the hell am I supposed to do with my heart?â and rhymes like âThere we sit / thinking weâre in deepâ¦trouble.â? Christopherâs answer? Listen and decide for yourself.

Christopher Grundy has been writing and performing at churches, camps, colleges, and larger church gatherings around the country for about 15 years. In This Life is one of his earlier collections â recorded in 1995 â but it contains some of the songs that have been favorites along the way. The recording has that stripped-down, uncluttered feeling that you get when folk musicians are early in their careers and canât afford producers or lots of studio musicians. The lyrics are out in front, and you can hear more of the room in which the recording was done. Those lyrics, supported by easygoing, straightforward tunes, are the real gold of the CD.

The title track, âIn This Life,â is a positive, folk-pop tune about getting back on your feet after a breakup. âWhat Am I Supposed to Do With My Heart?â is the kind of mellow, dry-humored love song that you might expect to hear from James Taylor. âVisitationâ is a shadowy ballad about repentance â and the Holy Spirit visiting like a lover (Wait, like a what?). âFrom my Handsâ is a spiritual, sometimes heavy meditation on our hands and how we use them. âIf I Ever Get Homeâ is a celtic-ish a cappella solo piece. âWatching This Town Freezeâ is a humorous look at life in a small town â and a loverâs quarrel. âThe Most Romantic Thing That I Can Think ofâ tries to imagine a process of getting engaged that is more mutual and less sexist. âHere I Standâ is a goofy song about friends becoming lovers. âEmpty Bottlesâ is about the legacy of alcoholism and abuse. âChurch of the Shelvedâ describes the habit churches have of excluding those who donât or canât fit in. âLullabyâ is a gentle, celtic song that was originally about lovers separated by distance, but has been used increasingly in end-of-life situations such as hospice care.

Especially for those who already know and love Christopherâs music, this collection makes a great addition. In This Life is for anyone, though, who is searching for contemporary folk music that can sing about life and faith without getting all preachy and self-righteous â or all sappy. Listen to the sample tracks. Youâll see what we mean.