4th January, 2007

JOE MONTAGUE   

Album: I See Beautiful
Artist: Tammy Trent

Label: September Day Records, 2006

In A Word: Energetic

"To say that 'I See Beautiful' is only about dance or urban music would be doing Trent an injustice. The CD also has some beautiful love ballads such as 'Stop The World', lyrically pretty and melodically soothing.

Before you think that Tammy Trent is a wannabe, know this: this lady was singing dance music in 1994 before anyone else in Christian music. If her name is new to you, it may be due to the fact she stepped away from the music scene for a few years to heal from the accidental death of her husband. The 2006 release of I See Beautiful marks the return of one of the most gifted and truly beautiful people in the music industry.

Her opening track Real Life - co-written with David Garcia and Tim Miner - is a statement of Tammy Trent’s journey: “More than just a ray of hope; you kept your promise; you told me that I could so I did; I started over.”

The heavily programmed beats of I See Beautiful and the hip hop/rap Pray are for the dance crowd. Trent says: “I am a drummer so when you listen to any of my records there is this groove.” Until now, fans have only seen her with a microphone in her hand, but watch for the lady and her drum kit on tour in 2007.

Pray is about being honest and celebratory at the same time. Trent says: “It is such a song of my heart. There were times (after husband Trent died) that I walked through the door of my house, fell to me knees, was lost for words and didn’t know what to say.”

Trent says although she was hurting, she remembered that someone out there was praying for her. She recalls thinking: "'Someone is lifting you up before the Father right now. Get up, you can do this,’ I would get up, wipe the tears and say, ‘I can do this God.’”

Knowing that people were praying for her made Trent want to, get off the floor and say, “Yes, does anybody want to pray with me? Do you really want to pray with me? I think that is why I took this direction for the song (Pray). It makes you want to dance.” M2 Automatic adds more energy to the song with his rhyming.

I’m Not Listening is a great urban beat written with Pete Orta (formerly of Petra). The title and opening words at first sound like someone who is tripping but as the lyric moves forward, the singer finds victory in God.

To say that I See Beautiful is only about dance or urban music would be doing Trent an injustice. The CD also has some beautiful love ballads such as Stop The World, lyrically pretty and melodically soothing. The song penned by Peter Orta reflects upon God’s creation, the sometime painful struggle to understand difficult times and the solace that God can provide.

The prayerful Forgive Me (ninth track), penned by Tim Miner and sung by Trent, represents those quiet times when we return to the Lord. Although we were eager to stray we discover He is just as eager to welcome us back. Forgive Me is a gently sung with heart-warming vocals. There are no heavy beats to distract us as the music segues into the equally pretty Run Into the Arms of Love (tenth track). Most of us have for a moment or much longer turned away from God yet his relentless love pursues us.

The CD I See Beautiful closes out with a remix of Pray. We want to give Tammy Trent her props for turning out a CD that is off the hinges.