Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With Your God

"People aren't confused by the gospel

They're confused by us

Jesus is the only way to God

But we are not the only way to Jesus

This world doesn't need my tie, or my hoodie

My denomination or my translation of the Bible

They just need Jesus

We can be passionate about what we believe

But we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel

Cause we're slowing it down

Jesus is going to save the world

But maybe the best thing we can do

Is just get out of the way"

Casting Crowns-What this world needs

The title comes from the Casting Crown song, 'Courageous'. 

Casting Crown is a band formed by youth pastor Mark Hall, and consists of seven members now, most who serve as minsters in a Eagles Landing First Baptist Church in Georgia, USA.


Mark Hall performs the lead vocals for the band and his voice is so easy to listen to!

Beautiful tone and the female vocals match so perfectly with his voice and make the songs sound complete.

The main reason I enjoy Casting Crowns, and it's not just because of the amazing music but because of their words.

I've yet to come across a band in which I can connect so deeply and with such understanding the words in which they sing.

They are stories, peoples stories they sing, truth in God's word it's and being able to capture that and provide people in their concerts the ability to sing along and make the words their own, because it's their story to, it's my story and it's my path to Jesus

This song it called East to West and it's so beautiful and speaks so clearly about a pivotal point in Jesus life, his death and resurrection and why he did just those things for me and you.

East to West by CC

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness

The chains of yesterday surround me

I yearn for peace and rest

I don't want to end up where You found me

And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight

I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west

And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned

But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away

From You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west

'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest

'cause You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin

Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in

Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away

From You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west

'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest

'cause You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light

I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night

I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals

I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me

You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west

I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest

'cause You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

One scarred hand to the other

From one scarred hand to the other

1. Kate Miller-Heidke

"I wish I had a river I could skate away on"

-River by Joni Mitchell

Yes I know its a Joni Mitchell song, but Kate Miller-Heidke did a version of it disc two of her 'Little Eve' album, and this is the version I remember.

This song will forever remind me of Pride and Prejudice, winter, blue sheets and blue walls, and being a teenager. 

From google images

One of the things you learn when trying to study for the HSC is that music can help jog your memory when it comes to certain subjects. If you study to a certain song for each subject then upon hearing said song you will be instantly transported into the memory that accompanies that song, which would be studying for a certain topic.

Well this can be said with reading books as well, River and Pride and Prejudice will forever jog my memory of listening to this song whilst reading this book. I love it.

I love having that memory that instantly transports me back in time to a place where I felt most happiest when I was younger. It encompasses everything I enjoy and cherish, music and books (and my bed).

Now to the reason why Miss Miller-Heidke is my number one female artist.

She is a classical trained opera singer... And sings alternative pop music...

What else is there to say really..

The perfection and talents of an opera singer combined with the quirkiness and ability to not fit into a stereotype and do it so wonderfully.

A lot of people didn't appreciate her music like I did when I was growing up. But I love how she just sings songs about random crap, is pure aussie human, plus a touch of seriousness to even it out.

Perfect mix. 

You can't go pass an virtuoso. It boggles, dazzles, mesmerises, and stuns me to see the ability of someone so expertly and comfortable play their instrument. Opera sings more so than anyone as their musical instrument is their body, like an athlete it takes a lot of training and hard work to be able to be a singer.

Kudos to all the singers in the world! To the people who have impacted my life through their music. 

Thank you for providing the soundtrack to my life.

From google images

You can find numbers 10-2 here 

Showing off her quirkiness and aussieness "Southern Cross Tattoo''

2. Bette Midler/Julie Andrews

Who hasn't seen 'Beaches'? You need to go out and rent that shit!!! 

It is a must see, in my opinion, also Mary Poppins and Sound of Music.

Sound of Music

Mary Poppins

These three movies are the must see of all musical movies. Made my childhood and my families!!

My family being very musical we love to sing, and we love Bette Midler and Julie Andrews.

I've decided that Bette Midler and Julie Andrews deserve number 2, because to me they made songs fun to sing. 

Even if they are a little before my time, I've grown up listening to my sisters (older by 8 and 6 years) and mums music. So I like to think of my self as well educated on music covering quite a few decades!

Always so elegant

Julie Andrews, amazing singer, her range covered, I think, 4 octaves, which is damn high! Like Mariah Carey high. She started singing when she was very young, and one of her breakout movies was 'Mary Poppins'. 

Little fact, Julie Andrews was going to star in the movie 'My Fair Lady' but the producers wishing to go with an actress more well known, Audrey Hepburn got the roll. So Julie Andrews lost out on 'My Fair Lady' but picked up the Mr Disney in Mary Poppins. Probably one of the best things to accidentally happen to Mrs Andrews as she beat Audrey Hepburn in the race for the Academy Award for best actress.

Sadly Mrs Andrews does not sing anymore, as a surgery to removes nodules in her vocal chords, a routine procedure most singers go through, but the surgery destroyed her vocal chords and she could not sing the way she used to anymore. A sad day for the music world!

This video isn't the best, but it's one of my favourite songs, and love Julie Andrews high finish to the song!

The Divine Miss M

Bette Midler, sorry I don't have any little known facts about her, except that she bought out an album of covers of Rosemary Clooney's songs. Which I absolutely love. Mrs Midler has a fantastic voice, is a brilliant performer on stage, and can act!! She is basically the last of the real entertainers, I believe. 

Also Mrs Midler's song, 'Wind Beneath my Wings' was played at my Grandmothers funeral, so it will always be in my memory in connection with my grandma.

3. Hayley Williams

I first discovered Paramore when I was youtube surfing discovering some new singers, which I usually do when I'm bored, just jump from one youtube video to the next. I've wasted a many long hours thanks to youtube!

So this was like any old day, me sitting around not doing much, finding some new tunes on youtube, and I found this really great singer, her name was Hayley Williams. So I looked up some more Williams songs and found she is the lead singer for a band name Paramore. So began my love of all things Paramore.

There songs are so catchy, there tunes are so good to rock out too, and you can tell they don't take themselves too seriously, they have fun with their music!! Which allows the listener to have fun while enjoying their music. 



And also, her freaking awesome RED HAIR!!!









Here is the first youtube video that I saw the talent of Hayley Williams voice. 

4. Amy Lee

Evanescence is one of the first bands I got into when I started liking heavy metal, as well as singing and playing piano.


"My Immortal" was one of the first songs I learnt to play on the piano, and it still holds a special place in my heart as a song that taught me about good music.


Amy Lee is an amazing singer, the ability to still sing like a girl at the same time as singing rock music.


Kudos to her and not conforming to the norm of today, with mini skirts and boob tubs. Kudos to her for sticking with what she likes, it is, in this day in age, harder than it looks!

Linking up with Grace for Flog Your Blog Friday 

5. Lacey Mosley

"Do you believe in God?
Written on the bullet
Say yes to pull the trigger
Do you believe in God?
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger"
-Cassie by Flyleaf

Lacey Sturm (nee Mosley) is the lead singer of 'Flyleaf' an alternative rock band. 

She's struggled through her early years, trying to find a place for herself in a world that doesn't except difference.

This lead her to Jesus and the her band Flyleaf.

Lacey Sturm has been associated with evangelistic tours and performed throughout America, sharing her testimony.

"Fully alive,
More than most, ready to smile, and love life
Fully alive,
And she knows how to believe in futures"

-Fully Alive by Flyleaf

Linking up with Flog Your Blog Friday

6. Brooke Fraser

Brooke Fraser is one of the finest singers and songwriters around, she hails from across the Tasman, a kiwi who's flown the nest to the big bad world of Oz and found Hillsong.

She's been singing and writing with them for a few years as well as making her own music.

She has three albums out, 'What do I do with Daylight', 'Albertine' and most recently 'Flags' and most notably her mainstream song 'Something in the Water'.

It wasn't until her album 'Albertine' that I really got into her music. I had never heard of her before, which is sad because I enjoy her music so much! 

It's rare that I find a good christian singer that I enjoy listening to and playing her music on the piano or guitar. 

My top three favourite songs by Brooke Fraser are 'C.S. Lewis Song', 'Albertine', and 'Hymn' a beautiful piano melody that I love to hear and play!!

As well as writing music for her own album Fraser writes for hillsong as well. And my all time favourite song to sing my lungs out to is a song she sings called 'Lead me to the Cross'

I leave you with a sample of her music. Have a listen and tell me what you think!

7. Laura Marling

Sometimes it depresses me knowing the music I listen to now is made by girl people my own age or younger!!

Laura Marling is 22 years old, like myself, she plays guitar mostly and sings. 

She has an acoustic sound, indie sound, focusing on vocals, lyrics, guitar, melodies and blending music together without much in you face loud drum beats.

 'I speak because I can' is her second album she released a few years back. It's the album that introduced me to her dark lyrics and beautiful riffs.

'Devil's spoke' is one of my favourites, and I listen to it regularly.

Her latest album I enjoy, not as much as 'I speak because I can' but if you are going to check out her latest music, I recommend the track 'Sophia', it's one of my favourites.

If you like music by mumford and sons, she's been linked professionally (and rumoured, romantically as well), so if you like there music then you'll enjoy Laura Marling's.

I shall leave you with one of my favourites songs by Marling. 'Hope in the Air'

8. Taylor Swift

Everybody knows Taylor Swift, and if you don't I have no idea where you've been living for the past few years!!

Normally I wouldn't chose someone like this to have in my top favourites... Being her so popular, commercialised and well sort of preppy.

But I am not void of ears and I do enjoy her songs, and I'm not snooby enough to dislike her just on principle. I give credit where credit is due, even if I'm not normally a fan.

Really, how can you not like Taylor Swift? Her music is fun, quirky, country and you can dance and sing really loud to it and not care.

She's tall, (like 6ft), pretty, down to earth, can play every kind of instrument, guitar, ukelele, and a hole car load of other instruments, she sings to convey her message in lyrics, lyrics that she wrote or co-wrote, not to show of her vocal ability with tonnes of licks and fancy shit that sounds like they're trying too hard.

I'm sorry, maybe I should hate her? No one should be allowed to be that good at everything....

But alas, credit where credit is due and praise where praise is due. 

She has a gift, whether others like her or not.

She's being herself, where allowing her music to sell its self and not relying on her half naked body to do so (though she did accidentally walk over a wind machine whilst wearing a flowey dress in one of her performances, embarrassing!)  like all her other fellow pop stars (not naming any names *cough rhianna cough*.

So if you don't like her music, that's fine, but you have to admit, she is talented and a blessing to an industry too ready to use sex as a means to sell EVERYTHING!

Okay, so this post took a while to be written. I lost my list of artists and forgot them all!

But never fear, (arhibald is here) I have already written the rest of my list, ready to be posted. 

So stayed tuned for number 7.

Linking up 'With Some Grace' for Flog Your Blog Friday

9. Regina Spektor

They'll name a city after us

And later say it's all our fault

Then they'll give us a talking to

Then they'll give us a talking to

Because they've got years of experience

Us by Regina Spektor

Fidelity is the first song I heard of Regina Spektors, and I loved it but had no idea who it was. Until a year or so later I heard the song again coming from a friends laptop, to which I jumped at the chance to get her name and song tittle, and I have loved her music ever since.

I love what this girl does with her voice!!!

I love that this girl constantly makes good music, doesn't change her style to suit the whims of adolescent teens in order to stay popular.

I love that her voice is different and she really just does whatever the hell she wants when she sings.

Spektors latest album

Her lyrics are fantastic, somewhat odd, quirky sentences amongst well worded ones. 

But I love most of all her individuality, and that her songs mean something. Not to the millions but to the few who listen to her songs and find a smile, some happiness and comfort.

This is how it works

You're young until you're not

You love until you don't

You try until you can't

You laugh until you cry

You cry until you laugh

And everyone must breathe

Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works

You peer inside yourself

You take the things you like

And try to love the things you took

And then you take that love you made

And stick it into some

Someone else's heart

Pumping someone else's blood

And walking arm in arm

You hope it don't get harmed

But even if it does

You'll just do it all again

-'On the Radio'

10. Ingrid Michaelson

"The storm is coming, but I don't mind,

People are dying, I close my blinds,

all that I know is I'm breathing now"

-Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson

I've been struck for ideas on what to write about, then I was listening to a song that brought back memories of lying in bed, reading Pride and Prejudice, soft music on and the pitter patter of rain on the tin verandah roof outside my window. These were some of the happiest memories of a somewhat depressive teenage hood.

So after shooting some messages to my big sis Kylie, I decided to do a list of my favourite artists.

Music means a lot to me, I love voices that are different, express different thoughts, maybe even controversial ones, but they are all still true too who they are, and I relate to that, I relate to having somewhat out of the ordinary thought patterns.

Number ten spot goes to Ingrid Michaelson.

One of the first songs I heard from Ingrid Michaelson was this song, 'Keep Breathing' from her 'Be Ok' album. 

It has stayed with me for a while now, the quote at the top, at the point in time I heard this song fit me so well.

"I want to change the world, instead I sleep" 

I felt it fit me because I wanted so passionately to make a difference in the world, and yet I slept in everyday till 11am or later and the greatest impact on the outside world was adding to the copious amounts of garbage.

In a way it revealed to me I wasn't the only one, I didn't have to change the world, at times all I can manage is too Keep Breathing and that will make a difference in the world I'm in. The world filled with my family and friends, and as long as I was here, that was me making a difference.

Michaelson also has a very unique voice, it's different and sweet at the same time. She is good with her lyrics and great with her melodies.

If you were to ever listen to a new artist, Ingrid Michaelson should be one on the top of the list.

Stay turned for more artists that have made a difference in my life. LOTS more to come!

Linking up with Twinkle in the Eye

The Civil Wars

Recently discovered a couple of awesome tunes by 'The Civil Wars'.

They released their first album, "Barton Hollow" in 2011.

They won Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Folk Album at the 2012 Grammy awards.

Stand outs on the album, 'Poison & Wine', 'My Father's Father', and 'Falling'.

Filled with lots of acoustic guitar riffs and lovely melodies, and sweet harmonies.

'The Civil Wars is made up of singer/songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White.

I'd heard some good reviews from 'The Civil Wars' but it wasn't till I searched a song from Taylor Swift named 'Safe and Sound' also a good song, which they collaborate with Swift on the track, which is on 'The Hunger Games' soundtrack.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I have!!!