USMA Cadet Glee Club at West Point - 'Stand Ye Steady'

Maybe it's because my oldest son is in the U.S. Navy's basic training program. Maybe it's because I'm more patriotic than I thought. Either way, even though glee club style music is not normally my cup of tea, I was touched deeply by this release.

Powerful and awe-inspiring are two words that come to mind when I think of this release. The opening track, "Men of Freedom" is one that spoke deeply to my heart as the grand-daughter of a WWII and Korean War vet, the daughter of a Vietnam war vet and a military mom. "Into The Fire", featuring tenor Daniel Rodriguez is another soul-stirrer, as is "Lest We Forget," which is one of four songs that features the Cadet Chapel's organ, the largest church organ in the world.

Special guest Lea Salonga ("Miss Saigon") brings "Via Dolorosa" to a fuller life than I can adequately put words to. I don't speak Spanish, and the second verse is done in Spanish, but I didn't need to understand the words to be nearly overwhelmed by the feelings the song invoked.

"The Star Spangled Banner" and "My Country 'Tis Of Thee" are so well done that they bring patriotic feelings to the surface and then cause them to overflow.

One other thing that makes this project wonderful is that some of the proceeds from sales will be donationed by Curtain Call Productions to charitable organizations assisting U.S. troops and their families. The initial charity recipient is the Yellow Ribbon Fund in Washington, DC. The Yellow Ribbon Fund places money directly in the hands of families visiting their wounded and disabled family members, many of whom are amputees in area hospitals. Additional recipients of charitable proceeds from sales of Stand Ye Steady will have the same mission.