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JFH Music Review




Jaci Velasquez
Heavenly Place



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 10 tracks: 35 Minutes, 2 Seconds
Street Date: October 1, 1996


It's almost surreal how an artist could start out so mature in her music, vocals, and lyrics, and then still feel the need to change her sound later on. Nevertheless, that's exactly what a young artist by the name of Jaci Velasquez did.

While Jaci didn't pen these songs herself, the knowledge of that doesn't interfere with one's enjoyment of the record just because the lyrics themselves are just so moving. They'll swing from putting an arm around a friend to earnest worship to standing through the most grueling of trials - all within the first three tracks.

Musically, this is about as Latin as Jaci ever got. While her later works didn't deny her roots (the last track of her sophomore album was just the opener sung entirely in Spanish), this will definitely live on as Jaci's "Latin" album. That doesn't keep it from being instantly accessible, though.

For the duration of my childhood, these are the main albums I grew up on: Steven Curtis Chapman's Speechless, Jars of Clay's debut, the WOW releases, everything by MercyMe and Salvador, and Jaci's first two albums. Miss Velasquez was one of the most exciting debut artists in Christian music, and she only got better.

JFH Reader Review: Review date: 10/13/07, written by G.B. Ilex for Jesusfreakhideout.com



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JFH Staff's Additional 2 Cents


Along with the Newsboys' Take Me To Your Leader, Jaci Velasquez's national debut was one of the very first Christian albums I ever heard, and many of Heavenly Place's songs still stick with me to some degree. While some still consider "On My Knees" and "Flower In the Rain" to be staples of Christian pop history, I continue to retain fond memories of "If This World," "Un Lugar Celestial (A Heavenly Place)," and "We Can Make a Difference." Of course, music from 1996 doesn't always age well, and Heavenly Place is certainly somewhat dated, but it was this record that launched Velasquez's career with plenty of memorable music to follow from the singer/songwriter. For a brief venture into the vault of classic CCM, Heavenly Place is absolutely worth a listen. - Roger Gelwicks of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 


. Artist Info: Discography
. Record Label: Myrrh Records
. Album length: 10 tracks: 35 Minutes, 2 Seconds
. Street Date: October 1, 1996
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. If This World
  2. Un Lugar Celestial
  3. Flower In The Rain
  4. On My Knees
  5. Shelter
  6. Baptize Me
  7. We Can Make A Difference
  8. I Promise
  9. We Will Overcome
  10. Thief Of Always
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This Friday, June 27, 2025
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DVD
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