Anthem of Inspiration

I find a lot of comfort and inspiration in music. I'm attracted to many different types of music from classical to punk. What I need from the music determines what I play. Anger music = punk or rock. Destressing music = classical. Fun music = pop. And, well you get the picture.

When I need inspiration or comfort, one of my favorite groups is Secret Garden. It's a New Age group comprised of an Irish violinist and a Norwegian piano player (he's also the composer). I find their music very soothing and at times very inspirational. Their most famous song is You Raise Me Up, which Josh Groban made famous. However as much as I love Josh, I still like the original version with Brian Kennedy's voice better, and it came out several years before Josh released it. I was actually really sad when You Raise Me Up became such a hit because I felt like something special had been stolen from me and given to the masses. I know that is not true, but prior to the song becoming so well known, I had considered it my personal anthem of inspiration.

Secret Garden now has a new CD, and I have found a new inspirational song. Let's hope that Josh Groban stays far away from it so that it can remain mine alone. :)

The lyrics are pretty powerful - here are just a few:

Sometimes we stumble,
Sometimes we even fall,
And we can't find a friend,
Can't comprehend it all;
And we are lost,
With nothing to hold on to,
When we can't find the answer,
Sometimes a prayer will do.

And though we wonder,
Uncertain if we will get through.
To face the future,
Sometimes a prayer will do.

The vocals in this arrangement are incredibly powerful as you can hear in the clip below. Tracey Campbell provides them and her voice is very soulful. The song has a gospel edge to it which I think is pretty cool.