"BELIEVER," by Calee Reed, Shadow Mountain Records, $14.98
Utah-based singer/songwriter Calee Reed bears testimony through song with the release of her album “Believer." This uplifting collection offers songs of hope and renewal, with titles such as “Broken and Beautiful,” “Come Home” and “Begin Again.” A few years ago found Reed as a divorced, single, full-time mom. Her spiritual and emotional growth during this period is reflected in the heartfelt lyrics.
“Believer” features 12 songs, including seven original songs Reed either penned or collaborated on, such as "Believer," "Cleanse You," "Understood God" and "Outrun the Rain."
Reed stylized vocal renditions of the hymns “Lead, Kindly Light” and “Called to Serve.” The final song is Reed’s breathtaking arrangement of “This is the Christ,” a poem by the late President James E. Faust, a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put to music by Michael F. Moody.
"Cleanse You" has a lilting cadence as a question is presented why the Lord leads to an uncharted sea and wondering if she would drown and the Lord’s whispered response is “What if I didn’t bring you here to drown you but to cleanse you?”
The music in “Broken and Beautiful” has an ethereal quality as Reed sings of being broken and then explodes into a majestic sound when singing of the Lord using her broken pieces to make a masterpiece. “Come Home” is a plea from the father to his prodigal children to come home, and “Believer” is about asking for help to become the believer she wants to be and getting out of her own way.
Reed, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a Time Out for Women and Time Out for Girls presenter and singer. Reed is married to Jon Adams and they have blended their families, including the recent birth of a daughter. The family resides in South Weber.
Reed has a YouTube channel, and her website is at caleereed.com.