When I was offered a chance to review Pope Francis "Wake Up!", a music album with Pope Francis' words and prayers, my curiosity was piqued. Just what would a modern pop music album featuring Pope Francis be like?
Now, before you get excited about the idea of the Pontiff busting out guitar riffs or crooning pop lyrics, let me tell you, you won't find such things on Wake Up!
Instead, you'll discover 11 tracks that combine modern music arrangements of traditional hymns with original voice recordings from some of Pope Francis' speeches, sermons, and prayers. These spoken snippets cover such universal topics as faith, family, peace, poverty, and nature and, all but one are in Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese. That one, in English, is the title track, "Wake Up!", which can be previewed online.You can also view large parts of the album on Youtube to get a flavor for the combination of sound styles, from Latin to Contemporary.
Then, should you wish to feast on the entire album, you can either:
- enter the giveaway below
- purchase a copy of Wake Up!
- purchase a copy through Pope Francis Wake Up
A portion of all profits from album sales will go towards helping refugees.
Why Would I Want to Listen to Something I Cannot Understand
If you are an English-speaker like me, who knows only a smattering of Spanish and a word or two in Italian and Portuguese, you might wonder how Wake Up!
might appeal to you. One word: Music! The language of music is universal, and with tracks inspired by many genres and cultures, Wake Up!
provides a smorgasbord of sound. Some tracks rock while others are more tender. Together, all 11 tracks offers a beautiful mix of sound that is pleasing to the ears, and, sometimes, gets feet a-tapping.As for the actual lyrics and sound bites from Pope Francis included in Wake Up!, I cannot say much beyond that I am glad the latter is translated in the booklet that comes in the CD package (which is also available online) and that I appreciate the passion with which the language comes across. Having lived and traveled overseas for many years before settling down to marriage and children, I am no stranger to hearing language I cannot understand. Emotion and power come through even when the literal meaning of words is not immediately understood. Such is the case with Wake Up!
Win a Copy!
For a chance to win a copy of Wake Up!
, please enter below.a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you do not win, remember, you can purchase the album at Amazon, where it currently sells for $13.99, or at Pope Francis Wake Up, and help refugees while you do!
Have you listened to clips of Wake Up! yet? What do you think?
