Francesca Battistelli was born on May 18, 1985 in New York
City. Both of her folks were involved in
musical theatre. Her major label debut
was 2008’s MY PAPER HEART. In 2010 a deluxe edition dropped. She followed this in 2011 with HUNDRED MORE
YEARS. A deluxe edition of it dropped
this year on Fervent/Curb. Francesca won
Female Vocalist of the Year at both the 2010 and 2011 Dove Awards. Of her music her website says: “Faith within
struggle. Joy amid chaos. They’re key to what makes Francesca’s music
so widely appreciated by critics, fans, and peers alike, and to why she has
been able to achieve a long-stated goal: ‘to bring something authentic to the
scene that even non-Christians could listen to.’”
Those who like the message of ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’
will value ‘Strangely Dim’ and its lyrics: “I’m gonna fix my eyes on all that
You are/’Til every doubt I feel/Deep in my heart/Grows strangely dim/Let all my
worries fade/And fall to the ground/I’m gonna seek Your face/And not look
around/’Til the place I’m in/Grows strangely, strangely, strangely dim.” The album’s debut single ‘This is the Stuff’
speaks of the frustrations we encounter in life: “This is the stuff/That drives
me crazy/This is the stuff/That’s getting to me lately/In the middle of my
little mess/I forget how big I’m blessed/This is the stuff/That gets under my
skin/But I’ve gotta trust/You know exactly what You’re doing/Might not be what
I would choose/But this is the stuff You use.”
‘Constant’ is a bouncy pop number co-written with Jason
Ingram. I like the everyday feel to the
lyrics: “Okay I really don’t like change, but I can’t stop it/I’m moving forward
anyway with the promise/You are the anchor for my soul/That’s all I need to
know (2X).” ‘You Never Are’ is one of
three co-writes with Jason Walker. It
has an encouraging message: “Grace is underestimated/All you ever really have
to do/Is take it/God is bigger than the times we fail/So why can we not forgive
ourselves?”
‘Angel By Your Side’ is a nice country-like ballad about
true friendship: “I’ll be the angel by your side/I will get you through the
night/I’ll be the strength you can’t provide on your own/’Cause when you’re
down and out of time/And you think you’ve lost the fight/Let me be the
angel/The angel by your side.” ‘Motion
of Mercy’ is a catchy song that tells of how Christ can change our lives: “Now
I’m filled by a love/That calls me to action/I was empty before, now I’m drawn
to compassion/And to give myself away.”
‘Emily (It’s Love)’ is a memorable song featuring Dave
Barnes. It tells of God’s faithfulness:
“It’s love that hung the moon and stars for you above/And stays awake to start
the morning/If you feel you’ve had enough/He’s never given up/It’s love.” ‘Good to Know’ is a perfect pop song that
offers hope to us prodigals: “It’s good to know/It’s good to feel the arms of
grace/To know that my mistakes are covered by Your love/It’s good to know/It’s
good to see that You won’t change/When it’s said and done/You’ll always be
enough/To know that I can always come back home/It’s good to know/Oh, oh, oh,
oh,/It’s good to know.”
‘So Long’ extols human companionship: “Still have the hard
times when nothing’s going right/Just wanna pull the covers over my head/You
gave me a new perspective/When the days get heavy and I feel rejected/There’s
someone to run to/Since the day that I found you.” ‘Don’t Miss It’ is fast-paced musically but
encourages us to cherish each moment that we have on this earth: “What if you
took the time/To really soak it in?/’Cause someday you’re gonna wish you
did/Like a September morning/Like snow without a warning/Like how the summer
feels upon your skin/Take a minute maybe/Before the sun goes down/Breathe before
your breath runs out.”
‘Worth It’ is a powerful ballad that reflects on one of the
most powerful forces known to humankind: “Love’s not a feeling/Love’s not
convenient/But I know love will change your life/Love takes sacrifice/Love cuts
like a knife/Sometimes love will make you cry/Love’s not easy/But it’s worth
it.” ‘Hundred More Years’ co-written
with Ben Glover, is heartfelt and includes these lyrics many of us fathers can
relate to: “She’s got blue eyes just like her mother/Three years old, he’s
crazy for her/He wants to freeze this day before it disappears/She’s spinning
like a little princess/Making sure he’s gonna notice/He could watch her twirl
for a hundred years.”
‘Hold Out For Love’ co-written with CCM industry vet Cindy
Morgan, spurs us on in the hard times: “When your heart is breaking/Hold out
for love/When your faith is shaken/Hold out for love/When an angry word is
spoken/Hold out for love/Gotta keep your heart open/Open, open for love.” ‘Something More’ is a strong song that begins
by asking a couple of great questions: “What do you do when you get/Everything
you wanted/But it’s not what you wanted after all?/What do you do when your
dreams/Become reality, but deep inside/You know they’re not enough?”
The next song, ‘Trampoline’, admits to a deep need for
Christ: “I know I’m only human at my best/’Cause I’ve tried to fly alone with
no success/I need You, I need You/I’m falling into Your arms/You’re my Savior,
You’re my Savior/Oh, how You capture my heart/You’re my Savior.” ‘In Your Eyes’ penned by mainstream artist
Peter Gabriel, waxes spiritual: “In your eyes/The light, the heat/In your
eyes/I am complete/In your eyes/I see the doorway to a thousand churches/In
your eyes/The resolution of all the fruitless searches/In your eyes/Oh, I see the
light and the heat/In Your eyes/Oh, I want to be that complete/I want to touch
the light/The heat I see in your eyes.”
This deluxe edition of HUNDRED MORE YEARS ends with an early take of
‘This is the Stuff’ and an unplugged version of ‘Angel By Your Side’.
In the liner notes Francesca writes: “I want to thank Jesus
for loving me and continuing to let me do this for His glory.” She adds: “This record is dedicated to my
amazing mentor and manager, Norman Miller, who went to be with Jesus this
year.” Francesca is a fairly modest but
beautiful young lady, making her a good role model in the vein of Jaci
Velasquez and Carrie Underwood. HUNDRED
MORE YEARS is a vibrant, contemporary pop record with spot on vocals that are
rich. There are numerous well crafted
songs here that have a relevant Christian faith message for today. I’m rating this deluxe edition, which runs
over an hour long, 90%. For more info
visit www.francescamusic.com and www.wordlabelgroup.com.