Local Artist Brings Peace With New Recording
The Freeman
By Stephanie Schmid
ELM GROVE - It is only fitting that an angelic voice like Eileen Carr's would bring new life to ancient Latin hymns.
Carr, of New Berlin, has just released the recording "Pax" on Lilly Records. "Pax" which means peace, mixes the vocals of Carr with the new age accompaniment of Terry Sweet. Sweet also arranged and produced the songs at his studio, Terry Sweet & Associates in Wauwatosa.
"I wanted to bring these songs from my childhood and reintroduce them to youth while also bringing them back for older people," said Carr. The recording includes favorites such as "Ave Maria," "Dona Nobis Pacem" and "Ave Verum Corpus," along with seven others.
Carr introduced her recording to the public Tuesday night at Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove. Six cuts from the recording were performed live to a packed house. The music was accented by a slide show of peaceful scenes with silhouetted dancers behind the screen. Carr had the gracious presence of an angel and was received with a standing ovation.
The vocalist who has had a successful career in pop, theater and commercials in the 1960s and '70s took time off to raise her family. She wanted to do something special for her comeback recording. "When you get older you go from idealistic thinking to reality thinking," said Carr. "What do I really want to say with my talent, with my life?"
With the fast pace of today's world all around, she wanted to do something soothing that would bring peace. "I don't want to be preachy with this music," said Carr with the sincerity that is the hallmark of her music. "I want people to hear it on their level, from wherever they are coming from."
"Pax" is genuine family affair. Carr's father, John Carr, backed the project financially. Background vocals were sung by Carr's son, Christian "Bubba" Shebesta and daughter, Emily Shebesta, as well as her sister-in-law Barbara Carr.
"We're going for a work of art with this," said Carr. "We want to be able to say that we left something beautiful when we left the Earth."