Jacqueline ‘Jaci’ Davette Velasquez was born on October 15,
1979 in Houston, Texas. She has won 7
Dove awards, had 3 Grammy nominations, 5 Latin Billboard Award nominations, and
an American Music Award nomination. Jaci
was the first solo artist in Christian music history to reach gold status with
a debut album (Source: Wikipedia.org).
That album is HEAVENLY PLACE (1996, Myrrh).
‘If this World’ opens the album. It is a light pop song penned by Michelle
Tumes, Tyler Hayes, Erik Sundin, and Mark Heimermann. It is also one of five #1 singles found
here! These words are ones of
encouragement: “If this world is a lonely place for you/Fall into the arms of
love/If this world is a lonely place for you/There’s a God who you can
trust/Who’ll comfort you and lift you up.../Put your faith in the One who will
never let you down/He has proven His love/Open up to all He has for you
now”. ‘Un Lugar Celestial (A Heavenly
Place)’ is a tropical sounding, bilingual song about intimacy with God: “I know
I need my time alone with Him/His healing waters flowing deep within/Don’t have
to wish upon a distant star/Cause the light of love fills my heart/Un lugar
celestial/Just a little bit of heaven sent from up above/Un lugar
celestial/Where the presence of my Father holds me in His love/Un lugar
celestial”.
Chris Eaton wrote the pretty ballad ‘Flower in the
Rain’. It is about spiritual surrender:
“So here I am again/Willing to be opened up and broken/Like a flower in the
rain/Tell me what have I to do/To die and then be raised/To reach beyond the
pain/Like a flower in the rain”. David
Mullen, Nicole Coleman Mullen, and Michael Ochs wrote the beautiful,
inspirational number ‘On My Knees’.
Bobby Taylor plays oboe on, and The Nashville String Machine appears on
this song of one who knows where to find true strength: “I’ve learned in
laughter or in pain how to survive/I get on my knees (2X)/There I am before the
love that changes me/See, I don’t know how but there’s power/When I’m on my
knees”.
‘Shelter Me’ is a mid-tempo R&B number that is a duet
with Chris Rodriguez. It speaks of God’s
faithfulness: “You will never leave me stranded, fending for myself/When the
enemy advances You are there to help/Standing in the gap for me/Whenever I grow
weak/You are my deliverer/The refuge that I seek”. ‘Baptize Me’ has a catchy pop chorus: “Hear
me as I pray/Wash my sins away/Drown me in Your grace/Baptize me/As my lips
confess/Fill this emptiness with your holiness/Baptize me”.
George Cocchini plays guitars on the infectious pop song ‘We
Can Make a Difference’. It spurs on
believers to act now: “It’s time to come together, you and I/And share the love
of Jesus Christ/We can make a difference/We can make a change/We can make the
sun shine through the rain/Shine on through the rain”. ‘I Promise’ is a quiet ballad that serves as
a vow: “So I promise to be true to You/To live my life in purity/As unto
You/Waiting for the day/When I hear You say/’Here is the one I have created
just for you’”.
‘We Will Overcome’ was penned by Mark Heimermann, Reggie
Hamm, and Bob Farrell. It is a good song
to slow dance to and is one of encouragement: “So don’t be afraid/He will give
us all the strength that we need/We will overcome/Heartache and sorrow/We will
overcome/All the pain in this world/We will rise above the cares of tomorrow/We
will overcome”. Last up is ‘Thief of
Always’. It offers this advice: “In the
midst of an ever-changing world, this one thing I know/You’ve got to live very
moment as though it was your last/Before the thief of always/Steals tomorrow
from your grasp/Before the chance to know His love has somehow passed you
by/Let your heart reach out/Right here, right now/For the Lord to touch your
life”.
Jaci Velasquez was only in her mid teens when she released
this debut album, HEAVENLY PLACE. The
majority of the ten songs here point to God as a sure Refuge, Comfort, and
Strength. Intimacy with the Father is
encouraged. There are also a couple of
songs about fighting temptation and about making a positive difference in the
world in which we live. Jaci’s vocals
are warm and inviting on this mostly light pop and adult contemporary
album. I’m recommending it to fans of
Rachael Lampa, whom I named my daughter after.
I give HEAVENLY PLACE 90%. For
more info visit: www.jacivelasquez.com.