Customer Reviews

Fernando Ortega

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm an atheist as you can see in the title, but this CD went straight through my heart anyway. I heard "Mildred Madalyn Johnson" in the car driving home from work abroad and I immediately bought the album online the next day (availability of this album in Dutch record stores is poor).

This album is a true gem, a masterpiece when it comes to music, lyrics and sonics. For me, the stand-outs of the album are "California Town", "Sleepless Night" and "Mildred Madalyn Johnson". If this music doesn't move you, I don't know what will. The music and lyrics have the rare combination of being refreshing yet familiar at the same time, but in no way boring. You can play this over and over and get exited about it every single time you hear it.

An album like this only pass by once every couple of years; Grammy winning material but will probably be ignored by the mass market which suffers from an overall lack of musical taste anyway. Fernando Ortega, keep up the good work for us who DO care about music!

This album is on of the finest Christian albums available. It represents rich new territory for Fernando Ortega without neglecting what he has done so well in the past. Ortega canvases the whole range of life experience from a well thought out Christian worldview that never degenerates into the drivel that marks so much of CCM.

"California Town" is romance at its barest essence without sappy sentimentailty, but sentimental nonetheless in a good way. One will be suprised at "Dragonfly" and "When the Coyote Comes." The songs are hard to classify which is good. Each has a bit of a bluesy, gospel flavor and a country-pop twang to boot that will leave your toes tapping every time. They may be the best songs of the lot and certainly the funnest.

The next three songs, "Sleepless Nights", "Shame" and "Noonday Devil" expresses a realist sort of spirituality that grapples with the difficulty of the Christian life. The songs do not wallow in self-pity, reductionistic ditties or the sort of psychobabble that passes for Christian reflection so pervasive today. "Sleepless Nights" calls the anxious heart to hide in Christ. "Shame" deals with the harsh reality of failing to meet false expectations that drives so much of our behavior. Shame from real guilt is good and leads to repentance. Shame from false guilt is crippling. "Noonday Devil" is a clever stab at mortifying the flesh and temptation. To do battle with sin, we must despise it with a holy hatred.

"Mildred Madalyn Johnson" is a wonderful little song that seems so out of place in our self-absorbed culture. What I like about this song is the lost art of paying the homage and honor that our elderly citizens deserve. What a tribute to grandmothers so dearly loved. Switching gears, "All That Time" expresses the difficulty love must endure in relationships if it passes the test of time.

Fernando Ortega is perhaps the best hymn revivalist of our day. No one has treated the hymns with such sensitivity and care for their treasures. "Rock of Ages" and "Immortal, Invisible" are no exceptions. As good a lyricists as Ortega is, I think he realizes that he cannot match the depth of orthodoxy and orthopraxy that the classic hymns have achieved. One must especially meditate on these two selections, saturating your mind with their truths almost with the same intensity and devotion one would to the Scripture itself. "Immortal, Invisible" is one of my favorite hymns. When I heard this rendition I was immediately enraptured with its beautiful yet haunting melody. I will never sing that hymn again without thinking of Fernando's wonderful adaptation.

"Take Heart, My Friend" reveals more of the heart of Ortega's godly spirit. It is a salve for the soul of the fainthearted believer who wonders if he'll make it. He will - God promises to complete what He began, and He uses fellow believers as divine encouragers to the task.

The album concludes with a final hymn, "More Love to Thee" written by Elizabeth Prentiss. Any Christian woman who has read her fictional diary of the struggle for womanly godliness, "Stepping Heavenward" will aprreciate this famous hymn she wrote as well. We thank you Fernando for reviving it.

Fernando never ceases to amaze. This album may rank as his best of his career. It seduces you with its rolling melodies and beautiful vocals and then jars you with its candid and honest lyrics. What person has never felt like Fernando in "Noonday Devil," with it's pleading to God for any emotion, even if it is unpleasant? "Dragonfly" is just an escapist's delight, while "Mildred Madalyn Johnson" solidifies Ortega as perhaps America's richest and clearest lyricist. Fernando ends this jewel with a simple and plaintive rendering of the hymn, "More love to Thee."

Fernando Ortega is a composer, pianist, singer, and an artist that really has no equal working today. He is a gift.

Ortega continues to be my favorite composer/singer in the Christian music field. This album is just another of his inspiring works. The vibrantly picturesque lyrics of the first track, "California Town", always take me back to my days at the ocean-side towns in Central America; the sights, the smells, the sounds. Tracks 4-6 are the heart-felt cries of a heart reaching out for God through difficult times of spiritual testing, an echo of that for which so many of us have cried. "Take Heart My Friend" is saturated with encouragement in its purposeful reminder that "The Lord is with us as He has been all the days of our lives/ Our assurance every morning/ Our defender in the night".
This CD has had a permanent home in the CD changer in my car ever since I bought is several months ago. Fernando's lyrics/music always seem to speak my own heart and my prayers!

This music sooths my soul. Amidst this harried world the sweetness of this music refreshes me.

Fernando Ortega is amazing in this album, especially with the songs "Sleepless Nights", "Mildred Madalyn Johnson", and "Take Heart, My Friend".
It took me four years before I bought a Fernando Ortega CD, and once I did, I was floored. I have since bought most of his CDs, and I recommend that you don't miss this one.
For those interested, you can find a live DVD entitled "Fernando Ortega - Live In St. Paul" where he sings some of the songs from this CD.
Including:
California Town
Sleepless Nights
Dragonfly
Noonday Devil
Mildred Madalyn Johnson
When The Coyote Comes
Take Heart, My Friend

Fernando Ortega has put together another remarkable CD. There is no one like Fernando. Some tracks stand head and shoulders above the rest; Sleepless Night, Noonday Devil & Take Heart My Friend. The first two are about trials and struggles and the third is a victorious song about God's faithfulness. There are four songs on the CD that could be described as secular ranging in topics from enjoying a night on the town with his wife to Fernando's cats narrowly escaping becoming a meal for a coyote. They are charming and provide the listener a glimpse into Fernando's heart and yet his Christian world-view shines through all of them. They are good compositions too. The production is very good, and very wide open. He does an exceptional job reharmonizing some hymns as he's known to do. These are some of the best. "More Love to Thee" is especially good. The CD stands up to repeated listening, and all the while God is glorified. A must-have. Well done, Fernando!

As of this review, the CD "Fernando Ortega" is one of the more recent releases by the performer of the same name. The contents are a mix of Christian-themed songs and more general tunes. The style is more contemporary/mainstream sounding than some of his earlier releases, but retains Mr Ortega's distinctive style. From light-hearted tracks such as'California Town' to deep (and somewhat dark) selections such as 'Shame' or 'When the Coyote Comes'; this CD covers a wide range of feelings, emotions, and thoughts. The Christian-themed lyrics express a balanced view of the inner workings of the human soul, reflecting both the inspirational and the 'desperational', the certainties and the doubts.
This CD is a treat for the ear and the mind.

Same beautiful voice. Some song choices not to my liking, but thn again, there are songs on the CD I really like. I guess this is not too much help. Mazie Z

This is my first Fernando Ortega album, and it's clear to me that I can't stop at one. His voice is so relaxed, yet so powerful. His arrangements are incredible. It is obvious that the song is what is important to him. He doesn't overemphasize any one element of the song, he takes a great melody and carefully blends in the instruments around it. I can't wait to hear his newest album. It's next on my list!!