Waves Fall 2004 Newsletter

...I knew that God had placed them there as warring angels...who believed in God and loved him enough
to give their lives to his service. -- The Awakening Heart by Betty J. Eadie, p. 88

September, 2004

W.A.V.E.S. Newsletter

Fall Edition

Embraced by the Light

Prayers

The Joy of Music

Review: O Mickey Where Art Thou?
Contribution by Jim Fly

In a clever tongue-in-cheek take-off on the success of the Cohen brothers’ 2000 hit movie and CD soundtrack, O Brother Where Art Thou, Disney last year released a compilation of Disney tunes, both old and new, cleverly rearranged in the styles of bluegrass and country, appropriately titled O Mickey Where Art Thou.

Comprised of many of the most well-known and well-loved tunes from Disney’s rich treasure trove of movie soundtrack compositions and recorded by many of country music’s leading men and women such as Collin Raye, Stonewall Jackson, Ronnie Milsap, and Elizabeth Cook, this retooling of classic as well as modern hits is at once delightful and surprising. From beginning to end, we are led through familiar tunes played in styles that the original composers -- Elton John, Phil Collins, Richard and Robert Sherman and others -- could never have imagined.

The tone is set with a toe-tapping, picking-and-grinning version of “Circle of Life” from the Lion King sung by Collin Raye and backed by a first-rate group of musicians on banjo, guitar, fiddle and bass. Pay special attention to the ending when it segues into a well-done, but all-too-brief, rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

“Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” from Song of the South follows next, performed in a moderate country-swing rhythm that evokes the feeling of a wide front porch in the Old South and conjures up visions of lazy rocking chairs and tall lemonade tumblers.

Next up, from the animated movie Tarzan, is one of my favorites, “You’ll Be in My Heart”, by the incomparable Phil Collins. Sung here by Kevin Montgomery in a somewhat more upbeat style than the original, the song showcases bluegrass at its finest with wonderful vocal harmonies layered over some top-notch fiddle and banjo playing.

Other songs include a heart-rending “Baby Mine” from Dumbo, “Bare Necessities” from Jungle Book -- done in a southern drawl that brings a smile to the face -- and an instrumental version of “Supercalifragilistic” from Mary Poppins that showcases some spectacular high-speed guitar picking and fiddle playing that left me breathless.

Other tracks include the humorous “When I See an Elephant Fly” from Dumbo, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story, and, for those who remember the early days of television, a medley made up of the “Mickey Mouse Club March” and “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.” The CD wraps up with the requisite warm-hearted version of “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio, sung here by Ronnie Milsap.

This is an enjoyable, upbeat, smile-on-your-face collection of music to listen to while driving, making dinner, or entertaining friends, and it is well worth a listen. You’re guaranteed to have a zip-a-dee-doo-dah day, which is “the kind of day where you can’t open your mouth without a song jumpin’ right out.”

Warring Angel Volunteers on Earth, (WAVES) is acknowledged as a trademark of Betty J. Eadie