CD collection   These are some of my favourite CDs, and my thoughts on the artists and their music.   Awake and Breathe - B*Witched   You could say that B*Witched are my all-time favourite band, although they're not making records together anymore. I love their music because it was fresh, new, upbeat and totally their own style. As a band they blended so well together, not just musically but physically also - you could tell they were all good friends, and still remain so today. They didn't follow trends, they created them, and they always looked so beautiful. Plus they seemed really nice people, and really care about their music. Oh, and they still remain one of the very few bands who constantly sang live and danced (and looked like they knew what they were doing).   Casting Crowns - Casting Crowns   Casting Crowns are my favourite Christian band. They rock, quite literally. Their songs have the most amazing lyrics and always have the ability to touch me, again and again. The lead singer, Mark Hall, has the most amazing voice and he's one of the few singers I've heard who sounds just as smooth and perfect live as he does on CD. The styles and melodies they incorporate into their music are just so refreshing and upbeat, and you can really tell that a lot of personal feeling goes into every stage of a song's creation process.   Home - The Corrs   I love Irish music, so it's pretty much a given that I like The Corrs. They're such amazingly talented singers, musicians and songwriters, and never lost the strong musical tradition of their homeland. This particular album is dedicated in particular to traditional Irish music, in the Corrs' inimitable style. Two of the songs are actually sung in Gaelic, and in one of these Andrea sings a capella, sending shivers down your spine. But the whole album is absolutely beautiful. Plus, I fell in love with the cover design on first sight.   Imagination - Bethany Dillon   Bethany Dillon ranks among my most favourite female singers of all time, and she's also one of the youngest too. When she released Imagination she was only 17, and it's her second album so far. I love her songs - they have this simple elegance about them. Bethany herself has a beautiful voice and plays guitar on all her tracks too. I love to sing along with her music. Her love for God and for life really shines out in all she does. My favourite songs from this album are Dreamer, I Believe in You and All That I Can Do.   It Was Meant to Be - Clayton   Clayton are a band I recently discovered, thanks to Lindsay Armaou (formerly of B*Witched) joining them as lead singer and co-writer in May 2007. I didn't quite realise how much I actually like country music until I heard these guys; and amazingly enough, they're a UK band, based in London. Ever since the first time I heard Clayton live (thanks to Second Life), I've been struck by just how good Lindsay and the amazingly talented guys in the band - John, Rick, Charles, Leon and Geoff - sound together. They're the only unsigned band I listen to in any amount, but I'm sure they're destined for something much greater, given the abundance of talent and absolute love for music which they possess.   Music Inspired by Narnia - Various   This CD is one of the few compilations that I love to bits. As the title suggests, it's made up of songs inspired by the recently released film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and with an added bonus - every artist featured on the album is Christian. I've been a Narnia devotee ever since I discovered the books as a child, so anything Narnia-related is bound to capture my interest, and this certainly does. I love all the songs, and some of my all-time favourites are on this CD. Including the catchy and unique Turkish Delight by The David Crowder Band.   Notre-Dame de Paris   One of my friends sent me this CD; it's the soundtrack to a musical based on the famous novel by Victor Hugo, and more famously known as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. I've always been fascinated with this story; the Disney animated film has long been one of my favourites of theirs. This version is a different thing entirely. The plot of the musical stays much closer to the original novel, and the original story is truly electric and exciting. I was impressed by this recording especially, as this show is performed in France by the same cast, alternatively in French and English. That alone is pretty impressive, but the music and lyrics are of such a high standard that you wouldn't realise they were translated from French. Plus, I really like Tina Arena, who plays Esmeralda in this production.   ARIA The Animation Original Soundtrack   This is the soundtrack to the first series of my favourite anime, ARIA. I love the series for so many reasons, and the soundtrack is every bit as good as the programme. The majority of the album's tracks were composed and performed by Choro Club and Japanese composer Takeshi Senoo. I don't think many people would expect a group of Japanese musicians to produce a CD of Italian-style music; I think even less would expect them to do it with such finesse and style. Every track is simply beautiful in its own way. It's difficult to pick a favourite, but mine would be 天気雨 (Sun Shower) by Takeshi Senoo. Just magic.