I’m going retrospective in my music selections lately, it seems.  Every once in a while, I like to pull out an album from my collection I haven’t listened to in a while.  When I do, I have found, the music serves as its own time machine.  Within the first few riffs of a song, I’m taken back to the first time I heard a piece, or a time when the album was more important in my world.

That’s what happened to me when I pulled out Meredith Dean Joseph’s album Come and Go with Me.  As soon as I pulled the disc out of the case, popped it in the player, and the first track began playing again, I remembered the first time I heard the album all over again.  This engaging jazz beat began building in the speakers.

Then comes THE VOICE.  That belty and wonderful alto range that makes any jazz piece move from the sweet to the simply sublime.  “Come and go with me/To my Father’s house,” Meredith Dean Joseph asserts, teasing the ear with what seems to be a simple melody, though it grows in complexity.  It’s difficult to not be completely engaged by the sheer impressive nature of her voice, and this piece is a perfect compliment to her vocal stylings and range.

As someone who has been involved actively in music ministry since the age of 10, I’m always impressed with vocal artists who can take a song that most people know by heart, then alter it in such a way that makes me rethink every conceivable way of using it.  That’s exactly what happens when Dean Joseph begins singing “Amazing Grace”.  Rather than the standard meter we associate with the piece, her arrangement seems to be in a 4/4 time signature.  More than a gospel rendition, Dean Joseph takes the reader along for a vocal ride that I’m only too happy to join.

Even as impressive as her arrangement on the classic is, it nearly pales in comparison to her impressive and astounding take on “Ye Sons and Daughters”.  A low arrangement showcases the sheer depths to which Dean Joseph’s voice can reach, while she finds ways to equally soar into her higher range at just the right intervals.  Taking the slow-handed 6/8 meter and morphing it into something more along the lines of a gospel/blues pattern is just shy of musical genius.  Had I known this piece could have been sung in such a way, I would have been infinitely more excited to use it during the Easter season growing up!

In addition, Meredith Dean Joseph includes several pieces that have become some of my favorites over the years.  She includes two pieces that are at least partially sung in Spanish, “Todo Lo Puedo Hacer/I Can Do All Things” and “Montaña”.  Both only enhance the listener’s pleasure! 

I highly recommend this album for a nice evening at home, with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.  It serves as a great backdrop to an evening with friends or private listening time.  If you really wish to rethink the way we as Catholics view music, jump at the chance to listen to Meredith Dean Joseph’s talent!