we never stopped talking about libera.. at this point, maybe too much fun or familiarity got the better for us so we all drifted apart. eventually, i also detached from st. phillip's.
then came libera's announcement about the release of "new dawn". i really had no intention of buying it since all nine songs were already on eternal. but for "bayan ko's" sake, i did because this is the clean version (minus applause). and then there were 5 songs which were new to me -never be alone, jerusalem, tallis' canon, the lamb and in paradisum.
i can say i'm never an "avid" fan. i have always admired THOMAS CULLY because his voice was the first that struck me while listening to my first CD "eternal". his version of "air on G string" brought goose bumps and i thought this boy is not human at all!!! he hits those high notes with ease & flair. i fell flat from my chair when i first heard andrea bocelli sing, and i cried hearing josh groban sing. but tom, a boy of only about 12 or 13 yrs old singing "ahhhhhhhhhhhh" continuously? wow! and his version of "ave maria" is simply wonderful. i think i must have been the first to call him "the heart of libera".. i never get tired playing, rather watching my dvd-angels in concert because tom brings so much joy to my family's listening pleasure. his version of "going home" alongside josh and miniben is so beautiful. and his duets with ed day are just pure perfection. sounding like a broken record, to this day, i regret not having met tom during their meet and greet last year. it would have been an honor to have his autograph - even if that would mean only his name written on my CD cover..
joshua madine....my "sunshine boy".. josh is every mother's dream to have as a son. from tom's voice, let's go down now to 'face value'. not that i'm saying josh doesn't possess a good voice but he does....and that cute face is a plus factor. the smiling eyes, curling lips, mop-head hair, the restless boy in the dvd-leiden, the boy with a husky voice. josh is cute and cute and cute... his eyes would melt an executioner's blow, a teenage girl's scream, a gay's fantasies and a grandmother's misery. he is one boy i can hug every minute of everyday (well, during his younger days and not as a teenboy now, hah hah). the boy clearly shows he comes from a good family - shows in his well-behaved manners, very reserved. and intelligent too. i've read one of his blog about their overseas trip and i marvelled at the word he used "transmogrified"...
i wonder if josh has ever had a bad mood at all. his smile is always ready for any camera - be it a celfone, a digicam, a professional camera or maybe even an instamatic. he always has a ready smile for everyone.
liam connery...the doll-like liam..the angelic face only God has the power to send to earth disguised as human. i think liam captured so many hearts in cebu. i love listening to liam's "sancte" in eternal and "libera" in leiden-dvd. during the autograph signing after the RCBC concert, he was gracious to have written down my name "to thelma" in my 'peace' CD cover.
ed day... my husband's favorite soloist. it's with regret that we didn't experience to listen to ed day's voice last year and their recent summer promo tour. ed is one of libera's best soloist.
michael horncastle...michael has one of the good version of "going home". i have the same feeling as that with tom while listening to his "faraway", "prayer", "libera" & "sing forever". i feel bad that the angels in concert was his last appearance.
---well, those are my first 5 and probably prizeman's best 5 in libera. why do their voices have to crack!!! and why do they all have to grow up that fast!!!
---after their recent concert, i'm now counting on the younger boys to carry on with libera's music. stefan leadbeater's "deep peace" and "how shall i sing that majesty" are simply wonderful. jacob wood's "lead kindly light" is another hit. and there will always be tom cully's "ave virgo' to look forward to.
