Ann Liddell is probably best known within Catholic circles for her nationally popular hymn Zion. She has just launched her long-awaited first CD, called Friend Move Up Higher, featuring fourteen songs which have their roots in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the 1970s/80s in the North-East of England. All but two songs were written by people from the diocese of Hexham & Newcastle, including Fr Bill Rooke.
Recording a studio album allowed Ann to experiment with the song arrangements, so while some tracks have a Celtic simplicity with guitar and voice, others have more up-to-date arrangements which she hopes will attract a broader audience to the music, which is all scripturally based.
Listen to soundbites from the CD:
To help parishes make use of the songs within their liturgies, Ann has also collaborated with Bob Watson, the well-known choirmaster and arranger from St Paul’s RC Parish in Cramlington, to produce a songbook of arrangements and accompaniments which complement the CD. He has been successfully using many of the songs in his parish liturgy. Ann has been rehearsing with Bob and St Paul’s music group to prepare performances for live events.
Both the cd and the book are available from www.annliddell.org where you can also hear samples of the tracks before purchasing. People purchasing CD and songbook at the same time will be offered a discount.
Performing at St Paul's,Cramlington
Ann Liddell was born in Darlington, a town she loves and continues to live in with her husband and children. Her love of live music came from her dad, who was a great singer, singing old favourites such as ‘I’ll take you home again, Kathleen’, which he dedicated to Ann’s mum, Katie, during impromptu after hours singing sessions. Ann says that although her mum wasn’t a natural singer, she taught Ann ‘Make Me A Channel of Your Peace’, a song which touched her deeply.
Ann wrote her first song, ‘I’m just an ordinary girl’, at the age of five, singing it at family parties but especially while swinging on the front gate. She has continued to enjoy 'ordinariness', taking pleasure in routine days as much as feast days. She has led music praise at parish and diocesan level as well as at larger events such the Walsingham New Dawn Conference and Emmanuel Youth Camps in Ireland.
She also enjoys other styles of music, playing individually, in a duo with her husband Mike, and with friends in a blues/rock band which has raised substantial sums of money for charitable causes since the mid-1990s. She is a teacher by profession, and is currently working with infants, a job she adores. She counts the making of the CD as one of the many blessings in her life.
CONTACT/BOOKING DETAILS:
Email: fmuh@live.com
Website: www.annliddell.org
Track by Track Guide – extract from the CD booklet - Ann writes:
"Come The Angels Cry Out is a joyful invitation for God to enter our lives, and for us to be confident in his saving grace. We can rely on his help, as Remember I Am With You Always reminds us, while Friend Move Up Higher is a spirited reminder us that God will elevate the friends who serve him.
Of course the path is never easy, and it’s all too simple for us to ‘love our friends and hate our enemies’, and to demand ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’. In
"Go Woman, Christ reminds us that we need to look into our own hearts. That can be difficult for us, especially when we suffer the kind of treatment that Jesus suffered at the hands of Judas, so I hope Betrayed speaks for, and to, those whose trust has been abused in any way."Human Pride is about God’s covenant with us. The language is not for the faint-hearted: ‘From the thorns and the briars that would choke your life, I’ll burn you free’. Reminds me of the plant I recently read about which can only produce its beautiful blossoms and release its seeds amid the ashes of a forest fire. There is a message for us in this metaphor.
"Gracious Lady is a description of Mary, the Mother of God, from Revelation, and her position now as a powerful intercessor and a protector of those who profess Christ as their Saviour.
"The words of Wild Geese were written by a close French friend, Michele, who died in 1997 after a ten-year fight with cancer. The inspiration came to her at the beginning of her illness when she was the mother of four children aged one to twelve. Although she had lived in England for many years, she longed to return home to France when she was sick, but her family commitments prevented her. As she watched the geese flying south, her heart longed to be with them. The song never fails to move me, with its sense of yearning for peace in Christ. Her youngest daughter, Emilie, has designed the very striking cover of this CD.
"I Have Longed And Longed, a song sometimes referred to as The Paschal Meal, also speaks of yearning, but from Christ’s angle. Your Light Is Rising expresses the sense of paralysis and anxiety that pain, confusion and sin create in us, while Shine On Morning Glory expresses how this situation is transformed by the passion of Christ.
"God Is Building a City and the popular anthem Zion joyfully invite you to participate in the mission of Christ. Holy Spirit Came To Me gently grounds us in the message that when we are open to God’s call, the Holy Spirit’s gifts will be given to us to help us in this work.
"Songs of praise, reflection and prophecy have the power to touch lives. If any of these songs speak to your spirit as they speak to mine, the mission of this CD will have been accomplished."