At some time or another you were probably in your favorite inspirational bookstore and happened to wander into the music section. There you found a wall of CDs with smiling faces and colorful graphics, but unlike a book -- which you can leaf through and get a feel for while you're standing in the store -- you can't pick up the CD and give a listen. Well, actually you could pick it up and give a listen, but CD cases all sound pretty much the same...So how do you know which CDs you'll like? Who are the best songwriters? Which voices do you like? What music might speak to your heart or be the perfect gift for a friend or someone you love?Well, this week's show isn'tso much to listen to as it is to tell you how and where you can listen to lots of this music for free -- get acquainted with the artists and styles -- and even be inspired in the process.For the last three years I've been the host of "Soft Sunday Sounds," an inspirational music program playing every Sunday on FM100 -- Salt Lake City's undisputed Number One station for music.Originally -- and long before I was involved -- this brave experiment played for a couple of hours on Sunday mornings. This is usually a pretty slow time for Radio -- especially in Utah, but something remarkable happened.People listened! They liked having great music setting the mood in their homes on Sunday. After all, "Music and the Spoken Word" is wonderful, but it's only 30 minutes long.Since then the music has expanded to fill the entire day -- beginning at midnight and running the whole day through.Which was great for people in Utah, but we'd get emails from people in California and Nebraska and even South Korea saying they'd moved out of state for jobs and school and really wished they could listen.And then, thanks to the internet, they could!Because "Soft Sunday Sounds" plays from Midnight on, it meant people anywhere on the planet with internet access could tune in at a convenient hour and hear at least some of the programming.Now FM100 is taking it up a notch -- which is why we're talking.Now Soft Sunday Sounds is streaming on the internet 24/7. That means anytime, anyplace, day or night or whatever time zone, whether you live in London or Lindon, Provo or Prague, you can hear inspirational favorites to help set the mood for your day.It's pretty amazing, really. I hope you'll visit FM100.com, give it a try -- it's a free service so what do you have to lose?:-)Plus, once you get to know some of the artists and the songs that speak (or sing) to you personally, that wall of CDs in the bookstore, or rows of CDs in the latest catalog won't be such a mystery.You'll hear the newest and best-ever recordings of the Tabernacle Choir from their new record label, favorites from Deseret Book and Shadow Mountain, Sounds of Zion, Prime Recordings, even inspirational country from Joshua Creek, and other independent artists. You'll hear Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices, Jericho Road, Janice Kapp Perry, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Cherie Call. Instrumental, Choral, and Vocal.Inspirational music streaming live on the internet 24/7 all week long. And on Sunday from 6 am to 6 pm I'd love to be your host for "Soft Sunday Sounds." (Don't worry -- thanks to technology I get to spend the day at church and with my family, but don't tell anyone!)Just visit FM100.com (http://www.fm100.com) and click on the Soft Sunday Sounds button.If you have the current version of your browser, it should play just fine, or you might need todownload RealPlayer (a free download) -- a one-time set-up that will have you listening with just a click.There's nothing like music to set the mood for the day and let your heart be open to the spirit. So far we"ve had emails from happy listeners from across the US, in Australia, in Brazil, and those are just the ones who say where they're from.I hope you'll excuse that this sounds like a commercial. I think it's a great idea and I can't wait to hear from people who've tried it for the first time. Why not connect, give a listen, and then let me know what you'd like to hear as the perfect soundtrack to your Sunday -- or any day -- at steven@fm100.com.Thanks for listening!

[ Fri, 26 Jan 2007 06:17:00 GMT ]

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