Karlene Batolo - Father Of Light

Firm Foundation, dropping a march-tempo snare drum, places those marching feet "on the solid rock" (Matthew 7:24-5, Luke 6:48).

Now back to the 'dance' portion of the CD with Glory To The King, which requires little explanation when the "presence of the Lord comes on your soul."

Some love offerings are in order: the fragrances of our praises on My Everlasting Love and that underrated thing called agape or unconditional love, Jesus Will Be There, "Greater love has none than this that He would give us life." (John 15:13)

Father of Light exhibits praise from several angles, mostly from a contemporary perspective. Rogers plays almost all instruments and stirs up techno edges, jazz, R&B, calypso - even Jewish folk traditions. It's hard to decipher that most of the music is programmed resulting in intricate percussion, ambient strings and blazing horns. Sonny Lallerstedt's gentle guitar sweeps completes Rogers' orchestrations. Jonathan Kilgore kicks in fluid saxophone support on Jesus Will Be There. The background vocalists, Bruce Stevens, Tiffany Martin, Jeannie Davis, and Maya Tolbert, suit Bartolo's lead voice with sheer ease.

In essence, Karlene's desire is solely as a vessel of the Lord. Mission accomplished. The next item of business, if possible, would be a North American release of The Grace Thrillers' greatest hits, to receive another taste of this absorbing worshipper.

To check info on Karlene Bartolo or purchase her CD, go to www.karlenebartolo.com. Her e-mail is info@karlenebartolo.com.