Pure Words

The album we just recorded will be called "Pure Words", from the text in Psalm 12 "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." ESV

I have been in the studio recording an album of the early Psalms (1-
16, but missing Psalm 9, which I may one day be man enough to
write.). I have done mostly through-composed, word for word versions
from the ESV, in song style, most of which could be sung by a
congregation that sings modern music. But I do have a few
chant/quasi-chant numbers that may interest you.

I have a vigorous antiphonal version of Psalm 7 that I have now
recorded (John Barach translation) with guitar, bass, drums,
tambourine, and other percussion.
It will take a thorough learning of the song for a drummer or a bass
player to know when to change. But it seems to me to be easily
memorized.

I have also done a chant version of Psalm 4, in high Anglican style,
brought low by me...:-) It seems to me easily sung. I have
accompanied it with guitar, bass, a string pad (I think...), four
part harmony, and another instrument following the words and melody.
I think this one will be hard to accompany until the musicians learn
it well.

I have a Psalm 5 version that is very easily learned and very easily
played by most normal accompaniment instruments. When I first played
this for our church, the guys came to me afterward and said "Gordon
Lightfoot!"... It apparently reminded them of The Wreck Of The Edmund
Fitzgerald. (Which may or may not commend it to you...)

For Psalm 10 I did the Cantus version of the Genevan, minus the
harmonies and twice the speed. This song will, I think, be very
difficult to accompany as I am doing on the album, but hey, you have
the Cantus! My drummer and bass player had to greatly stretch their
imaginations to make this one work... The bass guy did it, but we had
to put the drums together piece by piece. It sounds pretty awesome to
me, but I am biased.

This album will not be available for a few months yet, it is still
being edited, but I hope to keep you posted. And I will try to get sheet music built for it as well.

Tracks

We are tracked. We are on track. Our tracks have been laid. After wiping out our tracks in the entryway (it was raining), we made tracks for home yesterday, and arrived last night.