CAROLYN ARENDS - Under The Gaze

Mon 28 Feb 2005

Stocki reviews the Canadian songwriter and finds her bring God and family and life together with crafted songwriting...

CAROLYN ARENDS – UNDER THE GAZE

Carolyn Arends came upon CCM with a huge impact but family life side tracked her and the industry was not prepared to travel at such a family pace. Under The Gaze proves her talent as potent as ever. Think Beth Neilson Chapman or Mary Chapin Carpenter. A consummate song writer (if you’re looking for quirk and eccentricity then Bright Eyes and Willy Mason are available in all good record shops) there are no outlandish envelope pushing ideas, just beautifully crafted melodies and poetic lyrics. Arends focuses on the light as opposed to others who write about what is seen from it, yet under the gaze she has a wonderful way of weaving love, family life, parenthood and vocation into the tapestry of her work. There is prayer (May You Live) honest sense of who we are (Fragile and Who you Are), hope for eternity (Getting Ready For Glory and Only Time Will tell) and strength to go for it (Half a Million Reasons and This Is The Moment) all Under The Gaze.