Lyrical Faith

by Audrey Camp

Often I find myself in concert in my car. Air microphone. Head dance choreography. I do it all. On the freeway. In the parking lot. Pulling into my garage. I do it everywhere.







For Christmas, my friend Amy gave me two gifts. One was a charitable donation in my name, a contribution to further the cause of providing clean water to the world. The other gift was a CD. You see, Amy works as a teacher in Capitola, but she also holds a part time job at a groovy little coffee shop in Santa Cruz called

The Abbey

. The CD I unwrapped at Ya-Ya Christmas this year is a mix of songs by artists who have performed at The Abbey in the past.




As I thanked my best friend for her thoughtful gifts, I was already excited about the prospect of having a new soundtrack for my driving life. The old Jessica/Fergie/Rhianna/Killers mixes were stale and had long since been thrust beneath the seats of Bronwyn (my Jeep) in disgust. And while I remain loyal to KKIQ (FM 101.7 in the Tri-Valley), there's only so much of John Mayer that I can take without switching to talk radio for relief!

Little did I know how much I would love my new CD. The mix includes several genres, singers of both genders, both bands and soloists. Beginning with the first track, I was hooked, but it was JJ Heller's song Small which I happily have running through my head all day!

Ms. Heller is talented, but I am more struck by the sincerity of her music than anything. I wanted to post the lyrics here:

Small
BY JJ AND DAVE HELLER

Cardboard cutouts on the floor
People wish that you were more like what they wanted you to be
Eventually they won't have much of you at all in their theology
The walls are closing in on you
You cannot be contained at all

I don't want to make you small
I don't want to fit you in my pocket
A cross around my throat
You are brighter than the sun
You're closer than the tiny thoughts I have of you
But I could never fathom you at all

Broken moldings all around
Broken people hit the ground
When they discover that you're not here for our benefit
You love in spite of us
You use the least of us to prove the strong aren't really strong at all

I don't want to make you small
I don't want to fit you in my pocket
A cross around my throat
You are brighter than the sun
You're closer than the tiny thoughts I have of you
But I could never fathom you at all

These words fall in even step with a pretty, thoughtful melody, and they are clear enough to hear and to consider. When a song is more substance than fluff, I appreciate it as poetry. JJ Heller, thankfully, accomplishes both. I intend to purchase an album or two as I cannot imagine that I wouldn't love the rest of her work. Beyond that, it's always nice to start my days with a dose of lyrical faith.

If you're interested in hearing the delicate, acoustic stylings of Ms. Heller, please visit her website . She will also be returning to The Abbey next month as part of her 2009 tour. A schedule of artists appearing at The Abbey can be found on its MySpace page .

SHOUTOUT: Yaya, Necie!