Here it is...

Here it is, my album cover! I received 40 copies of the album prior to Christmas to give to my family over the holidays. There were a few changes that needed to be made and I should have the completed project in the next few weeks.

It has been so humbling to see my family's reaction to the music and to this project overall. Everyone has been super supportive. I am now diligently working on contacting friends and other family members to see what kind of interest there is in the project. If you are interested in getting a copy and have not received an email from me, please feel free to leave a comment on this blog and I'll get in contact with you. The cd's will cost $15.00 each.

The album has 11 songs on it, all contemporary christian music. The songs are as follows:

1. Wonderful, Merciful Savior
2. How Can I Keep from Singing
3. The Wonderful Cross
4. How Great is Our God
5. Glory
6. Blessed Be Your Name
7. All Creatures
8. There is a Fountain
9. Bring the Rain
10. Looking in the Eyes of Love (featuring Luke Mehaffie on background vocals & guitar)
11. Press On

I love to sing and I'm so thankful that God has given me the voice to share his love and grace through music. I hope everyone will enjoy!

Album Update

Well folks, it's been a long journey...one that I began in June and is now coming to completion. I realize that I haven't posted regularly, but nonetheless, the recording has continued to go on and I should be getting my first shipment of the album before Christmas. I cannot wait to hear the finished product and see what the alum cover actually looks like. I'm still in disbelief that I've actually recorded an album. Working on this project has been such a blessing. I have loved recording with Randy Stalls and VisionQuest Music.

I think my favorite part of the whole process has been playing my songs for my mom and seeing her reaction. This project originated through wanting to have a special song for my dad, thus knowing that my mom and dad love it is truly special. As a matter of fact, my dad actually said, "that's Candi" the other day when my mom played a song for him. For most folks, that wouldn't be a big deal, but my dad suffers from severe dementia due to his diagnosis of Huntington's disease and hasn't said my name in about a year - he can't carry on normal conversation and typically doesn't show much of a response to stimuli. So, the fact that he shouted, "that's Candi" when mama played my song is HUGE - it was so touching that I cried. My dad saying those words was why I did this album - I know that somewhere in that wasting body is my daddy who is proud of me!

Attached you will also notice a couple of awesome photos that my most talented cousin Martha Anne took of me for the album cover. Martha Anne lives in Pittsboro, NC and as you can see is a very gifted photographer. You can check out more of Martha Anne's photography by visiting http://www.marthamanning.com/.

I also just want to send out a thank you to my friend Luke Mehaffie, who graciously took the time to learn a new song, he came to Greenville to practice with me, and then went all the way to Williamston to sing and play on the album. I'm still amazed that Luke Mehaffie would be excited to sing with me...thanks Luke for lending your super talents!

So, what's the next step? Now I'm going to have to focus on building my voice stronger and planning a little concert in Farm Life to introduce the album. I hope to be able to post some pictures of the cover once I get it. I'll keep the updates coming.