John Michael Talbot returns to his musical roots of Country/Rock with a Christian theme.

It was all Mike Card's fault. On our Brother to Brother project we exchanged steel string guitars. I gave him the guitar I used on The Regathering, he gave me a guitar he had used on many albums and taken on a missionary trip to China. It is a beautiful yet powerful instrument that brings out both my contemplative and more aggressive and contemporary sides.
That night I wrote the first song on this project, Smaller Than Small. After that, the others came quickly...the parts to the Mass, then The Cave Of The Heart and The Way. Last came Inflame the Fire and The Common Fire.
Musically the collection is a return to my earlier projects like The Painter and The Lord's Supper, and even before to The New Earth and John Michael Talbot. This is primarily due to the use of the steel string guitar. I also added electric guitars, bass and drums. To help me with this, Phil Keaggy graciously agreed to color the musical canvas with his virtuosity on both electric and acoustic guitars, not to mention mandolin and bazouki (a middle eastern, Greek-style instrument similar to a large mandolin). Phil Madeira (an old friend from Phil Keaggy's band from the old Love Inn community in Ithaca, NY) added a B3 organ that hearkens back to the best rock'n'roll of the mid-to-late sixties. Sam Levine, woodwinds conjure up images that reach from Celtic Ireland to some mythical Taoist or Buddhist monasteries in ancient Tibet or China, plus playing a mean old-time rock'n'roll sax. Eric Darken added his world music artistry on percussion ranging from the delicate tinkling of a wind chime, to an ancient temple bell to a booming bass drum that can't quite decide if it is from tribal Africa or the Macy's. parade in New York City. John Catchings reached deep into the inner recesses of his soul to produce both virtuosity and tone in his cello, and Scott Brasher worked his usual wizardry on synthesis to produce an entire section of symphonic strings all from his keyboards.
Vocally, the project is also helped by both old and new friends. I went for a vocal sound similar to the folk-country-rock sounds of my Christian and secular roots with my brother Terry in Mason Proffit and The Talbot Brothers. Both Michael Card and Phil Keaggy helped me out vocally on this effort. Bonnie King from First Call, (also my engineer’s wife) added that special shimmer of the female voice on the harmony stacks, not to mention some great R&B improvisations, in a way that proves her great reputation as one of Nashville's best female studio singers. The vocals are one of the more special aspects of this project, and it was enhanced greatly by working with such professional Christian brothers and sisters who still remember how to have wholesome fun while working on a project.
The lyrical and theological theme of the project is just as serious in nature as the musical setting was fun to make. It begins with what classical Judeo-Christian theology calls Natural Religion, (or the major world religions that precede or coincide with the Scriptural revelation of God's plan of salvation in cultures and with peoples that were outside the scope of of the Jewish people of the old Testament or beyond the immediate range of the earliest Christian community. From here we) move into the formal Revelation found in the Old Testament, and then on to the fullness of God's Revelation in and through Jesus Christ. This is all realized by ancient texts and scriptures from the world's main religions along with the use of both New Testament scripture and liturgical texts pointing towards, and being completely fulfilled in, Christ.
(This is not an axcercise in universalism, or of some kind of one world religion, but of solid evangelistic and theological patterns established by St. Paul in the Acts of the Apostles for reaching non biblical cultures and peoples with wirh the message of Jesus Christ through referring to their own philosophers and religions and seeing them ultimately fullfilled in and through Christ. This pattern was continued with the fathers of the early Christian Church as they brought the gospel to all peoples of the world. Today we face a similar environment with the multi culltural and religious make up of western civilization. This project includes my humble attempt to acheive this musically.)
Beyond this serious theological theme, this project was just a lot of fun. Admittedly it is not my deepest musical expression or attempt. It was not meant to be! I will leave that to past or future accomplishments, and best judged by my listeners with their own respective musical tastes. This project was primarily about having some wholesome musical fun by returning to the contemporary roots of one's own past in a way that quite naturally flows from who I am and who I was. After all, who we are is irreversibly linked with who we were, though now cleansed and redeemed in Jesus Christ. Likewise wholesome fun is an important balance for the more serious and heavy times of our lives.

I also wish to thank my arranger and co-producer, Phil Perkins, for his priceless input and friendship through these twenty-plus years and forty projects, not the least of which is this current effort. Though not directly using his orchestrating skills, they were used nonetheless in the co-production and input with Scott Brasher. I also thank Brent King for his ever so acoustically sensitive engineering. As usual, he was a master. Likewise, Rob Burrell was ever the techno-wiz kid with his expansive knowledge of anything computerized or digital. Lastly, Hank Williams did his normal magic in the mastering lab before sending the whole thing off to the pressing plant. Together, we all made quite a team.

SMALLER THAN SMALL
This was the first song I wrote for this project. I started it the first evening after Michael Card and I swapped guitars while recording the Brother to Brother project. The guitar he gave me is a 000, slotted head, steel stringed instrument made especially for him by a luthier in Virginia. It tended to bring out the styles I am best known for early in my ministry as heard on The Painter or The Lord's Supper.

It begins with a little lick based in the American blues tradition but combined with an East Indian flavor in order to match the text. This elicited much of my earlier style as I continued to write. Phil Keaggy added a stunning electric guitar part. I added another to give it an electric rhythm base that added a bit of an East Indian tonality.

The text is based in the Natural Religion theological tradition of Christianity. Specifically, this comes from the more monotheistically inclined texts of the broad religious tradition of India( called Hinduism). Yet this text is seen as a primary scripture for nearly all religious Indians ( Hindus). The texts I chose are fully compatible with Judeo-Christian theological tradition of the One God, and with the apophatic mystical tradition of both Judaism and Christianity, and Islam as well, which emphasizes God's unknowability in His full transcendence. Yet, hopefully this song remains approachable to all, especially the singable chorus and in the rhythms.

CAVE OF THE HEART
This song evolved out of a little guitar pattern I was playing around with on my Roland VG-8 using the WingWING patch, taken from a Jimi Hendrix-type soul sound setting on a virtual Stratocaster. Next, I added the text from a primary Buddhist scripture that is compatible with the mystical tradition of Christianity. Last, I added the chorus with a bit more of a folk-rock feel to it.

Thematically, this song is the second of three that make up the Natural Religion section of this project. It emphasizes the need to still all wandering thoughts in meditation and prayer. The text (is from the Dhamapada which )contains the wisdom teachings of (Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha, or )one who "awakened." No doubt there are those in any faith, including Christianity, who need to awaken and go deeper in God's Spirit and faith.

Musically, it is based on an acoustic guitar and vocal emphasis. We added Phil's electric guitar which took it a kind of Sittin' On the Dock Of the Bay direction. He added an electric twelve string guitar to take it into more of a folk-rock direction in the chorus. We simply couldn't resist adding Phil Madeira's B-3 organ. Sam Levine's sax was added at the same time and takes it back to an acoustic direction, without losing the early rock or soul feel. Mike and Bonnie's vocals were the icing on the cake. We hope you enjoy the taste.

THE WAY SUITE
This was one of the last pieces composed for this project. It began when I tuned my guitar to an open G and began improvising with the record button on. What came out was this Crosby, Stills and Nash thing that sounded surprisingly like the first few notes of Suite Judy Blue Eyes before going its own direction. It re-introduces a variation of the main guitar theme on Smaller Than Small. The middle section, in particular, is one of my favorite parts with its Appalachian folk flavor, evoking images of mystic blue ridged mountains, filled with pine woods and rocky bluffs.

The text for this piece completes the three-fold Natural Religion section of the whole project. I used (ancient) Taoist( Chinese) sources to round off the Asian religions with the Chinese emphasis (in both Taoism and Confucianism )on the Way,( or the "Tao.") (which is seen by the earliest traditional Christian missionaries to that culture as a foreshadowing of Christ) Christians, of course, see Jesus as the ultimate Way, Truth and Life. ( The ancient Tao Te Ching, from the legendary Lao Tzu, forms the beginning and the end of the Suite, with the lovely "white cloud" and "stringless tune" middle section coming from the later 6th century Complete Reality School of Taoism as represented by Ancestor Lu's Hundred Letter Tablet.)

Phil Keaggy played some interesting lines on the Bazouki and Mandolin, evoking an odd combination of far off mythical mountains in China or Tibet with the Appalachian sounds of the hill country of early America. He also did some nice acoustic work. Bonnie sang some wonderful high parts that evoke images of the white clouds and rarefied air mentioned in the ancient lyric. All in all, this piece was a wonderful surprise to add to the project.

KYRIE
This song begins the Revelation section of the project. Natural Religion is humankind's divinely inspired reaching out to God and the things of God like goodness, truth, beauty and love. As St. Augustine said, so aptly speaking of the human longing for God, "My heart is restless, until it rests in You." In Revelation, humanity not only reaches to God, God reaches back! He did this in a special way in the Old Testament with the Jewish people. For Christians, the fulfillment of all Natural Religion and the Revelation that comes in humanity's ancient past comes now, once and for all time in Christ.

The Kyrie is from the section of the early Christian worship service, in particular the opening of the celebration of the Eucharist, or "Thanksgiving" in the Lord's Supper, which asks forgiveness of God and other people in the love and mercy of Jesus before going together into full sacramental, or mystical common union, or communion. "Kyrie" is Greek for "Lord." "Eleison" is Greek for "have mercy" as "Christe" means "Christ." All in all, this is a heartfelt cry to God through Christ for mercy through the forgiveness of sins which we all inevitable commit against God and humanity.

KYRIE-GLORIA MOTETS
These acapella pieces were an afterthought that turned out too nicely not to be used. Inspired by the early polyphony of Palestrina and the modern works of Duruflé, just to name two, these pieces began as chant variations of the contemporary Mass found in part in this recording. Then I added the harmonies. I also recorded a Sanctus and Agnus Dei which are not included here. Recording them in my work studio in my hermitage, I was forced to sing all the parts myself, using 12 passes on each part. I hope you are pleased with the result.

GLORY TO GOD
This was the second piece written for this project. As such it has a strong tonal resemblance to Smaller Than Small. Both are in the key of C, played with D fingering and voicing on guitars tuned down one full step, which is standard practice for my compositions. I do this because the guitar sounds better in this voicing, especially with the timber of my voice.

The piece was written with a Celtic feel, especially in the opening melodic theme, which reoccurs as a repeating chorus. The use of the bohdran drum underscores this feel, though we resisted the use of the Uilleann Pipe, which is frequently so overused in today's Celtic music craze. Keaggy's electric guitar work expands the sound while retaining a clearly contemporary genre.

The text is taken from the Catholic Christian Mass, but will be familiar to any Christian liturgical tradition. The text is intended to lift our whole being to God in praise and thanks after receiving His forgiveness and love, and before receiving His continued Incarnation in our midst in Word and Sacrament. This latter point is emphasized in the opening words of this text which are taken from the song of the angels heard by the shepherds in the fields at the birth of Jesus, the Incarnate Word.

DEVOTION
I wrote this song for my recent Pathway instrumental series and decided to use the lyric version on this project. It seemed to work well based on the way it was conceived, birthed, organically evolved. I wrote this music right after receiving my VG-8, a virtual guitar synthesizer and controller device that recreates classic and expanded guitar sounds, as well as normal synthesizer sounds. This song came from playing patterns with the patches on those devices.

The text is a simple prayer around the concept of devotion and communion with Jesus. It works nicely in a collection that includes sections from the Eucharistic Liturgy, or the Mass.

Musically this song is a bit more like my meditational works for which I am better known. The instrumental treatment is acoustic. The cello and recorders are typically beautiful for John and Sam. Scott did a lovely string arrangement on his deceptively authentic sounding synthesizer. Lastly, Bonnie sang some feathery high parts to my existing vocal stacks. All in all, I think this is a lovely addition to an otherwise predominantly contemporary project.

PHILIPPIANS CANTICLE
This song has appeared twice before, originally on Come To The Quiet some twenty years ago and last year on the Pathway instrumental series. We had so much fun on that redo, that I decided to expand it a little more. For those familiar with the original, you will immediately notice the addition of the guitar lines that tie it back to the recurring theme of this project. It was also fun to add the acoustic blues lines in the middle section, along with some tasty riffs by Phil Keaggy. The vocals are left simple and almost austere to retain the folk character of the song. I think it ended up fitting nicely into this new contemporary collection.

THE COMMON FIRE/INFLAME THE FIRE
The Common Fire and Inflame The Fire were written together at the suggestion of Steve Griffin after he had attended our monastic community's weekly meeting that is open to the public. During the meeting, we kept emphasizing the common fire of God's Spirit and the rebirth of our human spirit as a child of God that draws all of us in community together through the ordinary ups and downs of life. Steve walked out of the meeting and suggested that I write a song about this simple, but powerful community concept. I decided to write two that night. They came easy and fast. They are simple, lively and fun, just like the spirit behind community when it is working right. I hope you like these two songs. Ideally these two songs form a pair, or even a suite to be listened to together or back to back.

Musically both songs are pretty straightforward. The bedrock of both is the steel stringed acoustic guitar doing bluesy, folk-country-rock type riffs and progressions. We repeated the guitar line from Smaller Than Small to establish continuity. To this we added typical bass, percussion and drums. On The Common Fire we stayed acoustic in direction, adding only Sax and B-3 Organ. On Inflame The Fire, we dropped the Sax and used Phil Keaggy's electric guitars to switch off with the acoustics. Vocally, Mike, Phil, Bonnie and I added lots of vocals to my already plenteous stacks. We had a blast just singing together . . . except for Phil, (just kidding) who is one of the most self-conscious and insecure musical geniuses I have ever had the pleasure to meet, much less make music with. It turned out as one of my favorites.

WALK AND FOLLOW JESUS
This strongly Christianized setting of Psalm 23 was written for my mother's funeral two years ago. In this it is very similar to my first setting of the same Psalm almost twenty years ago for my father. It was during his fatal illness that he went through a sort of final conversion to Christ, marked by his becoming a Catholic Christian. I sang the song for his Confirmation and one year later at his funeral Mass. I was too shaken up to sing this current setting at my mother's funeral Mass, but I have included it on two recordings now, the first being an instrumental version on the Pathway series.

Everyone's contribution to this piece was beautiful. John's cello, Sam's woodwinds, and Scott's synthesized orchestrations are all masterful, befitting the musical mastery of these fine players. On this song especially the music speaks for itself.