Mark Roach is arguably my favorite new Contemporary Christian male discovery for 2008. After seeing the chart progress of his hit Inspo single Surrounded, I was drawn to his MySpace, where I discovered an artist with an ear for memorable, sing-able melodies and a skill for producing earnest lyrics that speak of God’s goodness and majesty.

While it was easy to predict the Top 10 potential of Surrounded, Roach’s second Inspo single The Least I Can Do betters it across many levels. First of all, The Least I Can Do has a much easier, more memorable melody to sing. Second, the lyrics are easy to sing, with a hook that worshippers will find easy to remember. Third, The Least I Can Do’s two main topics – the heart of gratitude for what God has done and for the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for our sins – speak on both personal and community levels, making it a potent double threat that should make it a ready staple for church worship.

Assuming Warner Bros. stands behind this track and given the previous success of Surrounded, I predict an easy Top 5 finish for The Least I Can Do, with a #1 finish not entirely out of the question. Easily one of my favorite tracks of 2008.

Listen to Mark Roach The Least I Can Do mp3
The Least I Can Do Mark Roach lyrics after the jump. Read more

I’m so happy! I used the US$25 Amazon gift certificate I won from Toni’s birthday contest to buy four CDs. That’s one for each of us in the family.

The first CD I bought - for Nicki - was Veggie Tales’ Bob & Larry’s Sunday Morning Songs. We had a cassette copy of this album back in the day, but I can’t find it, and even if I could, I’d have to have it converted to CD, which would cost me a minimum of PHP350, without the CD booklet and everything… it just made more sense to buy it from Amazon (despite its being almost US$2 cheaper on MusiChristian.com, which won’t let me buy these CDs thanks to EMI; thanks a lot, EMI!). This album is a real keeper, with more than 15 Sunday morning songs that Nathan already enjoys, including Give Me Oil in My Lamp and I’ve Got the Joy Down in My Heart. I’m sure Nicki will enjoy it just as much.

The second CD, this one for Nathan, is also a Veggie Tales album: Veggie Tales: On the Road With Bob & Larry. This looks like a great CD: 15 tracks of songs one can sing along with while driving in the car! I confess I’m not too familiar with the songs - just one, actually, The Surrey With the Fringe on Top - but the reviews were great and I want some sing-along music with Nathan there. Also, there are backing tracks so we can sing without Bob and Larry. He he he.

The third CD is for Cathy: Vanessa Williams’ The Sweetest Days. This is one of her favorite albums, and she only has a copy, cassette pa. It contains The Sweetest Days and Constantly, one of her favorite songs of all time.

Finally, I wanted to reward myself as well, so tadah, early Christmas present: Mandisa’s Christmas Joy EP! Hahaha, I’ve wanted this since last year! (Her new album, Freedom, is being recorded right now, and word has it she’s recording a new Christmas CD; yeah, girl, you go and be the Kimberley Locke of gospel! Make Christmas singles every year!) Total cost of CD haul: a little less than US$30. So I spend only US$5 extra (because the entire purchase qualified for free shipping! Whee!

Special thanks to Toni again for the wonderful gift and to my best friend Raft3r, to whom I’m shipping these CDs in the US and who will be coming home with them. Now there’s even more reason to celebrate my best bud’s return!

Today is starting out to be a great day. Witness, to wit:

I won Toni’s birthday contest! I entered a birthday contest from my good friend Toni at her website Wifely Steps, and to my utter surprise and glee, I won the randomly selected lottery contest! I never win at these things! Thank You, God! Thank you, Toni! (Now, how shall I spend my US$25 Amazon GC? Mandisa or Avalon? Argh, decisions, decisions!)

Spotlight’s breaking out! Jennifer Hudson’s Spotlight bows at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, three notches ahead of fellow Oscar winner Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia) and one notch behind fellow Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Please Excuse My Hands, on which he and The Dream are featured artists with rapper Plies). Three Oscar winners, including Jennifer Hudson, all debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time? This is the kind of chart news I really enjoy! Go, J-Hud! Go Spotlight!

Oh, and for this week, here are Jennifer Hudson’s Spotlight Billboard rankings:
Hot 100: #96 (debut)
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #16, up four notches (bullet)
Adult R&B Airplay: #12, same as last week (bullet)

I just played Lazer Tag! Some of the pastors and staff visited Lazer Xtreme at Market! Market! for 15 minutes of lazer tag. OMG, such fun! It was my first time to play, and I finished a more than respectable 5th out of 12. More importantly, Pastor Joey Bonifacio, who trash-talked me like there was no tomorrow, finished dead last. Hahaha, take that, Sir! (Just kidding. Please don’t fire me.)

Do you feel like a winner today?

The Fully Booked High Street branch in Fort Bonifacio is holding its first anniversary sale ending August 2. Discounts as high as 90% were being slapped onto the thousands of books at Fully Booked Serendra (We’re talking four floors of books. How can you possible say “No!” to that?!)

So, yesterday, I conned convinced my wife and father-in-law to make the trek from our home in Caloocan to High Street to check out the sale. Boy, was it worth it! Among the many books we got were I Am Legend (the original sci-fi novel from the 60s), No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth (a graphic novel adaptation of the British classic), another graphic novel, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and a reprint of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (You know who owns that last one.) For Nathan, the last copy - at PHP250! - of Maurice Sendak’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are. We would’ve probably bought a lot more had there been more time.

I had my eye on Kathy Reichs’ Bones and Ashes. think I may return tomorrow to see if it’s worth it. Also, I also a new Paulo Coelho book; I just need to confirm if it is new. (After he added me to his list of friends on Plurk, how can I turn down his latest? Woohoo!)

I also visited their fourth floor, home to CDs and DVDs, and saw the entire 10-season Friends boxed set retailing for PHP7,950. That seems like a lot, but that actually comes down to only PHP795 a season. In DVD! Plus, the two gospel CDs of Michelle Williams at PHP499 each. Gah. Kulang na lang, Calvin and Hobbes boxed set at 20% off. Hu hu hu, I wonder how much I’d get for my kidney.

Are you a book lover? Head on down to Fully Booked while the sale’s still hot. Most books start at 20% discount, that’s already reason enough!

A “Twilight” theme for Plurk is now blessing my Plurk page. I developed it with my “Twilight” wife Cathy - I guess this layout makes us “Twihards” now, doesn’t it? - and now it’s up and rather pretty, if I do say so myself. I also recently joined the Flickr Plurk Themes group and uploaded my Plurk “Twilight” theme onto it.

If you’re looking for a Plurk “Twilight” theme, click here to install it into your Plurk page. If you’d like to see it, click on the image above to go to the Flickr page for the image.

GannsDeen.com is now on Plurk. Come and join the fun!

I have been using Wordpress as a blogging tool for quite some time, so when I heard that the Mindanao bloggers were organizing WordCamp Philippines 2008, I was quite excited. However, I told myself I probably couldn’t go because I’m way too busy. But when Sarah said she was going, I told myself, hey, if Sarah can go, I should be able to, also. After all, what we learn can benefit the church!

So, I’m going!

Here are the details:
What: WordCamp Philippines 2008
When: Sept 6 2008
Where: College of St. Benilde Taft Ave., Manila
Registration fee: FREE

Thanks to the following for helping make WordCamp Philippines 2008 a reality:

• i.PH: the Domain for Individuals
• Free Online Flash Games
• Wazzup Manila Philippines
• Real Estate CRM
• Real Estate Website Designers
• Orange County Real Estate
• Auto Insurance Quotes
• Lane Systems Inc.
• RedMedia

See you there! Fil-Christian EB!