Pop, soft rock and jazz-style love songs with Christian flavor, a must have CD, especially great to buy for yourself or someone you love.

10 MP3 Songs
POP: Delicate, GOSPEL: Contemporary Gospel



Details:
I grew up in Rochester, New York where I began singing in the first grade. One day, my music teacher put me in front of the class and said, "Okay Lisa, now sing for us." I remember how nervous I was, but with much fear and trepidation I did it. I think I sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." After that, I got âthe hungerâ for performing. And I can remember my best friends at the time, Jan and Chrissey, asking me to sing for them all the time. I always wondered why, but looking back on it now, it was providence I guess.
Anyhow, thatâs how it all started. Someone once said that we learn what weâre here to do by looking back at our childhood. And it's true certain childhood events stand out in our minds. For instance, Iâll always remember the time my elementary school music teacher encouraged me by saying, "Whatever you do, don't ever stop singing." I wish I could tell her that I took her advice.
The world of music really opened up wide for me in a big way at SUNY Oswego, where I hooked up with a guitarist by the name of Craig Boyd and together we did gigs in clubs and nursing homes. It was such fun performing top 40, standards, some Seger and some country. I started taking private voice lessons at the time.
After college, I returned to Rochester and worked as lead vocalist in two other five-piece bands âNitelifeâ and âFranz and Friends.â We performed at country clubs, weddings, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs and other private parties.
My music career had a number of stops and starts after that. I moved around the state for my day jobs and then I got married and moved to Central New York. I didnât hang up the mic though. Instead I sang at church wedding services.
Then I got the recording "bug" during a Valentineâs Day koaraoke charity fund raiser when I met up with CNYâs George Day and was given the opportunity to record cover songs "Good Morning Heartache," "I Will Survive," "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" and "She Works Hard For The Money" at this amazing state of the art studio. I never formally released that CD, but it sure was awesome recording it.
I just gave it to family and friends. A special perk, it did get aired on a local station Y94 FM on the âBig Mike Show.â
My love for piano playing never ceased, so I began taking piano lessons again in 1987 shortly after the CD recording. I hadnât taken lessons since I was 25 and before that I took on and off from age 9 to 17. In 1989, big surprise!â¦during a very low time in my life (my husband and I were both unemployed), I started hearing music in my head while coming home from work during ârush hourâ one evening. I kept humming the song in my head so I wouldnât forget it during the 20-minute ride home. When I arrived home, I quickly got to the piano and wrote out the notes to the song. That was the beginning...I began getting lyrics, then another song, more lyrics, and singing, songwriting and piano playing soon became a central part of my life. God kept sending me one song after another, sometimes music first, then lyrics, sometimes both simultaneously.
The songs pretty much sat on my piano and I enjoyed playing and writing until one day, my dear friend Gilbs
visited and when she heard songs I had been working on, she
encouraged me to do something with them.
In 1997, I decided to take her advice. I contacted a musician by the name of Mark Chatwin. Mark had lived in LA for a time and was experienced at music writing and arranging and he owned a small recording studio in town. He helped me arrange and record my first original song entitled "Rise Up And Sing Praise God." When the planes hit the World Trade Center on 9/11, I was in the midst of writing a song and that song entitled "God Is With Meâ became a tribute in memory of the New York firefighters, police officers, victims and their families.
Between 2001 and 2003, I went back to the recording studio and recorded three more songs and they along with "Rise Up" and "God is With Me" became a five-song album with five accompanying instrumental tracks. I named that CD "Look to Jesus" after the title cut. I felt so blessed by the new jazz-style praise and worship CD. But I was doubly blessed by acquiring my own radio show on WVOA FM during drive time (ârush hourâ) Thursdays 5:30-6:00 p.m. (now live at www.wvoaradio.com)where I am able to play my songs and songs by other local and national artists. My song âRush Hour,â is the show, Christian Music Journey's theme song since it airs during rush hour. Aside from studio work, and radio, I perform at coffeehouses, churches, schools, weddings, private parties and at peace rallies.
Like the rose petals pictured on the insert and disc of this new "Love Connection" CD, I felt a leading to sprinkle love compositions into the hearts of Christian and secular audiences alike, young and old, those who like ballads and jazz and those who prefer soft rock and pop. Since God is Love, it seemed fitting to flavor these love songs with some of His Word. For instance, "Love Is A Funny Thing" features excerpts from Corinthians 13 and "Itâs Been You" also has Godâs Word embedded in the lyrics. I felt led to write about all types of love: Love for God, love between a man and a woman, love for our children, between friends and love for mankind in the song entitled "Rush Hour." "Rush Hour" is a call to action for all of us to take time from our busy lives to help others in need.
I am a fan of all types of music, from soft rock to classical and I believe my greatest influences have been Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, and Faith Hill. I am also a fan of my vocal coach Irene Stanton who I owe a debt of gratitude for her commitment and dedication to my work.
I can't wait for you to hear the tracks and purchase the CD. Twenty percent of the proceeds will go to international relief organizations like Feed the Children who homeless children.
A huge heartfelt thank you to the âsymphonyâ of talented musicians who contributed to these songs and to those talented artists who helped with the CD packaging and web site design. I couldnât have done it without you all!
Thank you Mark Chatwin, who I affectionately call "Maestro." He was my right arm (literally and figuratively) through all of this as he played down the tracks for the piano, acoustic guitar, and drum, organ, violin and bass sequencing. He helped me with all the arrangements including chorus arrangements.
Joe Carello played the show stopping flute and sax.
Ed Gorham gave everything a charge with his electric guitar solos and riffs.
Josh Dekaney on drums kept a great beat with some unique stuff.
Jeff Bradbury offered a super drum track for "Love Is A Funny Thing."
Joe Davoli played his heart out on the violin and mandolin. Rob Robson blew a traffic stopping trumpet solo for Rush Hour.
Peter Kirk Hopper was my digital mastering engineer extraordinaire.
Adam Schickling created the lovely CD design.
Vanessa Sands is my esteemed website designer.
Kim Miner is the CD type designer who accepted the challenge of working with me yet again on another CD.
Brave woman!
Tommy Scott and Lou Secreti at CRS Media Corp. helped with the final track changes and CD replication. Two other brave souls.
Jeff and Rudy at Bach Photo Images kept me sane during the final phase of picture taking! Which photo are we using again...we're changing it AGAIN!!!!!

20 Percent of CD profits will go to Feed The Children and other U.S. and international charities.