Teresa Smith met her future husband David when she auditioned for a band he was leading. The band broke up but they stayed together. Today David and Teresa Smith make up the pop Catholic duo, “Crossed Hearts,” and their self-titled CD has just been released by Disciple Records.

“Our music is very positive and upbeat,” says Teresa. “It gets you excited about your Catholic faith and about living for Jesus.”

David writes all the music and lyrics for the duo.

“We try to root everything we do in a Catholic world view,” he said. “Regardless of the topic of the song, it is founded on the teaching, traditions and spirituality of the Catholic faith.”

From the guitar-backed opening bars of “Over My Head” (about the Eucharist) to the final drumbeats of “Spread the Word” (about evangelization), Crossed Hearts combine the best of pop music with solid spiritual teaching.

Topics like the Blessed Sacrament (“I Know Where You Are”), the saints (“Friends in High Places”), reconciliation (Music to My Ears), and the sacraments (“River of Grace”) flow through the album on a stream of tightly crafted lyrics and toe tapping, feel-good melodies that make the listener want to get up and move.

“You can definitely take your morning walk or do your exercise to this music,” says Teresa.
The powerful harmonies created by David’s baritone/tenor and Teresa’s soprano voices are a standout feature of this album.

“Our sound has been compared to Abba,” says David, who says his writing style was heavily influenced by the harmonies and vocal work of the band Queen.

The choice of the name “Crossed Hearts” for the duo popped into David’s head as a natural outgrowth of his life with Teresa.

“It sends a three-fold message for me,” he says. “First, it reflects the vows that Teresa and I made to each other when we got married. Second, as Christians we are called to carry our cross in this life and be rewarded in the next. Finally, Teresa and I have a devotion to Jesus and the Blessed Mother – the crossing of their hearts is a blessing to us in our marriage and our ministry.”

And a family ministry it is. David and Teresa are home schooling parents to their six children between the ages of 10 and one – Benjamin, Jonah, Nathaniel, Patrick, Brian and Regina Marie.

“It’s definitely turning into a family affair,” says Teresa. “For example, when we’re performing at a parish, our older boys help out at the CD table. The children know that after we finish home schooling in the morning, our family focus is this ministry.”

Two sets of nearby grandparents, several local family members and some good friends are all on hand to watch the children when David and Teresa have a performance to do.

“It would be impossible for us to do this without our families and friends,” says David.

Crossed Hearts has played at pro-life (“an issue very close to our hearts”) events, festivals and parishes.