Nothing to Cry About - Alli Rogers

Alli Rogers shows growth as a songwriter with an increasing aptitude for communicating spiritual truths in a simple yet compelling fashion.

Like her Christian music peers Jaci Velasquez, Stacie Orrico, Rebecca St. James, and Rachael Lampa, Alli Rogers was poised for success at an early age. After winning a talent contest at AtlantaFest, the 16-year-old artist signed to Word Records and worked on her long-awaited debut. Before the album would ever see the light of day, however, Word was absorbed by Time Warner, and Rogers' major-label hopes came to a screeching halt when she was dropped from the roster after a host of personnel changes.

But she didn't let that keep her from making music for long. Rogers teamed up with friend Donnie Boutwell to write and co-produce her well-crafted debut, Always Eden, 11 tracks showcasing Rogers' lovely voice and poetic songwriting. For added accessibility and variety, Bebo Norman also sang a few background vocals that enhanced the album's overall vibe.

Now a little more than a year later, Rogers returns with her sophomore effort, The Day of Small Things, a disc that provides further evidence of the beauty of simplicity. The theme of "enjoying simple things of life" also extends to her songwriting as well.

"It's hard for me to work hard at the small things, the menial tasks, when I can't see the outcome, says Rogers. "I think a lot of people relate to that. When I was looking at the handful of songs I'd been writing, this theme seemed to stand out. The album is about looking past the daily, mundane things and seeing eternal purposes. It worked out well because I had been really inspired by Zechariah 4:10."

With a sound that would make any fan of Patty Griffin or Jonatha Brooke proud, Rogers' vocals are the real standout on the project, particularly on these lyrics on the title track: "You've shown me that we're never alone/And your Spirit will stay by our side/So I won't despise the day of small things."

While Always Eden was a little more introspective, The Day of Small Things has more of a universal message, particularly on a track titled "Hope," which Rogers wrote after seeing victims' pleas for help in the wake of tragedies like the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. "We need to be passionate about bringing hope to people who don't have it, which is the actual definition of poverty," Rogers affirms. "I wanted to write a song that shares that everyone, from the richest of souls to those that are covered in poverty, we all need the hope that is found in Christ."

For more information about Alli Rogers, visit www.allirogers.com. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.