When Laura Huval says she was practically weaned in the church choir loft, she’s not kidding. Her parents, Cajun musician Al and Karleen (née Guidry) Berard, met as teenagers at choir practice at St. Joseph Church in Cecilia, Louisiana. Al played guitar, helped arrange, and even wrote a few songs while Karleen sang alto and soprano. Huval joined the choir at age nine and performed her first professional gig, a wedding, three years later.
For years, Huval has fielded requests for an album of the contemporary Catholic songs that she grew up singing. Eventually, with the help of Oregon Catholic Press (OCP), she managed to get things rolling and gathered a retinue of family, including her husband Adrian, Sweet Cecilia bandmates Maegan Rankin (sister) and Callie Guidry (cousin), and friends to cut this at both her late father and Tony Daigle’s studios with Daigle twisting the dials.
The selections range from the ’60s to the ’80s, the “Folk Era of Catholic Music,” and are still sung at services today. Huval doesn’t rush her lines but sings slowly and reverently to draw attention to the message at hand while accompanied by piano, violin, cello, and some light percussion.
On “Peace is Flowing Like a River,” husband Adrian and 4Horses’ Brazos Huval shade in a mild Louisiana flavor on accordion and fiddle. For nearly all selections, female background singers join her at the right moments for a full choir effect. “Turn to Me” finds Huval emoting without them in a higher key for a stunning, if not eye-watering, performance. Interestingly, “Isaiah 49” hails from nationally known songwriter Carey Landry of Vermilion Parish.
For the finale, “Praise the Lord, My Soul,” Huval goes for the gold with pounding percussion, Eric Adcock’s B3 hammering, and Justin Lewis’ searing electric guitar riffs while the choir sounds majestic and triumphant. Towards the end, Sarah Russo’s wailing has Black gospel undertones.
A beautiful collection offering hope, love, and comfort, the messages are universally applicable regardless of creed. Think of it as a vessel to meditate in peace and tranquility in an otherwise chaotic world.
