The Need by Raquel Aurilia
Pre-Shrunk Music/Epdog Music
http://www.raquelaurilia.com

The lucky first 300 fans to line up at the Reds Community Fund booth before Saturday's game had the opportunity to walk away with a CD single in exchange for a donation of $5 or more.

The single features the lovely Raquel Aurilia, wife of Cincinnati Reds' infielder Rich Aurilia, singing The Need, a track from her debut album, Finding My Way. Money collected for the CDs was donated to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

The Need is a sweet, simple ballad that has many of the attributes of pallatable Christian contemporary cross-over hits. Its we-all-need-God theme is discernable but not overbearing. The accompaniment and background vocals are vaguely churchy, but the fun, relaxed church where the pastor wears jeans and the youth group performs comedy skits about spreading the good news. And, most importantly, it features a sexy but wholesome performer.

Looking at Aurilia's website, I was surprised to find that the entire album does not appear to share the spiritual focus of this single. I'll know for sure when I get my copy, hopefully in the next few days. Look for my impressions on that in the coming weeks.

If you just can't wait that long, the album is available at Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and Target.com, linked from the website above.