Behind any successful project is a team of people. With Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, I wanted to devote today’s Blog post to express my deepest appreciation to the people who have helped me turn Glimpse of Glory from an idea into a reality. I also wanted to take this opportunity to introduce and highlight the musicians, vocalists and players who have supported the project.
Meet Damian Rico. He is featured in “The Unknown” as a vocalist and acoustic guitarist. You hear him again in “Heart of Easter” where he graces us with his electric guitar. Damian started playing as a little boy in a mariachi band and at 13 years old, he joined our church band at Camino de Paz Christian Church, where he has been serving for approximately 10 years. This is our second project together. The first project was "Liked and Loved".
Another player in the project is Brent Butler. Brent is the Pastor of Eastside Community Church, a wonderful keys player and a dear friend. I met Brent seven years ago at a funeral, never imagining the passing of a mutual friend would lead us to many years of ministry collaboration. Since we met, we have led together in a city-wide prayer and worship ministry called Uproar. He plays keys in “The Unknown” and in “Breathe Again,” which he co-wrote.
A third co-writer on “Breathe Again” is Sergio Estrada. Sergio is the worship pastor for El Buen Pastor (and my favorite acoustic player). We hear him on “Heart of Easter,” “Breathe Again,” and “Stay”, which we co-wrote at an Uproar songwriting retreat. He is one of the most gifted musicians I know and was instrumental (pun-intended) in leading the musical arrangements for all three tracks.
Speaking of “Stay,” my dear friend James Montgomery is who you hear on the cajon and who makes the song a vibe. He is a band member for Jesus Team A Band, and has played with other bands including Fred Ham, Kirk Franklin, and Alvin Slaughter.
Laced throughout the entire EP is AnnJillian Valcarcel on the violin. AnnJi has been playing violin for 24 years. Her and her husband are pastors at Iglesia Familia de Dios. She also plays and tours with her sister Debbie Navedo, an artist with 418 Records, and was most recently featured in “Maria Sabias Que” and “Gigantes” featuring Lucia Parker.
Matthew Johns is the beautiful voice on “Heart of Easter”. Matt and I met in 2010 at UT Dallas where we worked together and shared many tears and conversations about faith. When we met, he was a wedding singer with Royal Dukes Band in Dallas. He was with Royal Dukes for six years and gigged at 250+ weddings. I fell in love with Matt’s voice when I first heard his rendition of “Jolene” and have dreamed of doing a song together with him. I am beyond excited to share this song with him.
Jacob Herron. What can I say? Jacob co-wrote and performed “Breathe Again” with me. He also performs background vocals on “Alaska” and is the producer of the EP. Jacob has been featured in various project including “Mercy Triumphs” and “Visions of Your Love” by TPC Worship. He recently released his single “Adonai,” which he produced. The moment I heard this song, I knew I wanted to Jacob to produce Glimpse of Glory.
One of my favorite things about this project is that it is infused with my friends' creativity and giftings. I am incredibly grateful for the time and effort that they all put into co-writing, arranging musical elements, learning parts, creating parts, producing, mixing and mastering.
Speaking of mastering, I want to give a huge thanks to Jose "Chico" Santiago with Music in Focus Studio for mastering tracks and providing encouragement during periods of uncertainty. Chico and Jacob did a lot of that!
A few more notes of thanks. Many thanks to my beloved friends David Franco and Chris Benites. Chris hosted us at Freedom Church, where we recorded vocals and instruments. Recording sessions were led by David Franco.
I am grateful for Omar "Liricas Celestiales" Barbosa who helped me create demos for each song, as well Joel "Iamxjoel" Martinez for listening and providing feedback during the process.
Omar also encouraged me to get professional photos for my artist pages, because apparently that's a thing. I am still learning, so many thanks to Azanel Pollard with The Goodness Captured for helping me with photos. And a huge note of thanks to Karina Figueroa for showing up at 8:30 a.m. to do my make-up for the shoot.
Thank you to every person who attended and worked tirelessly to make my 40th birthday and pre-release party a day I will cherish forever. Thank you to the many folks near and far who contributed financially to make this project come to fruition. The love and support I have received has been overwhelming and a lot to process.
I want to thank my Pastors, Gilbert and Cecilia Marez, for leading me to Christ daily with their authentic example, for discipling me and for creating a church community where creatives like me, Liricas Celestiales, Rico and Iamxjoel can make art and be shepherded, loved and supported.
Last, thank YOU! Thank you for staying connected with me via this blog, Instagram and Facebook. Thank you for your encouraging emails and comments, for your support and for sharing your testimonies, joys and struggles with me.
As I reflect on the many things, I am grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday, please know that you are all on the top of my list. You are all a glimpse of God's glory in my life. Thanks again, and Happy Thanksgiving!
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