He Hears Me

Established LDS songwriter Hilary Weeks makes a strong debut as a soloist with this album. Her previous compositions can be found on albums such as Women at the Well, and her voice is heard on the same album. Like Felicia Sorenson, Weeks possesses a rich voice, and can be favorably compared to Amy Grant. However, her musical style is much softer than Sorenson or Grant. She begins with the soft but catchy "The Good Shepherd," which describes the joy of the reliability found in Christ. In the album's namesake "He Hears Me," she sings a soft tribute to the answers she's received to her prayers. She gives a wonderful treatment to Christian standard "El Shaddai" by using a harp in the accompaniment. Wonderfully touching is the duet between a woman and Christ in "Be Still." And her famous "He Came for Me" featured on Women at the Well with an Andean-like treatment is given the orchestra treatment on this album. Overall, Weeks' album is very reflective of the LDS community's traditional treatment of music. She keeps the music lowkey, and in a format easily translated to piano arrangements. Most of her songs could easily be sung in the Latter-Day Saint's regular Sunday meetings, called the Sacrament, because of the spiritually appropriate lyrics and soft music. However, she doesn't leave the upbeat behind either, as is evidenced by the jubilant "Raise Your Voice" which would be considered borderline by most LDS music leaders because of its jazzy tone. For a Christian seeking good Sabbath music, this album is a must-have. ~ Dacia A. Blodgett-Williams, Rovi