To say that the music of Traveling Mercies is "entertaining" may be technically correct, but somehow misses the point of this Christian folk-rock band from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Sure, if you listen to a Traveling Mercies concert, you will be entertained.  

?       Was it songwriter Mary Goldring's passion for Jesus that was laid bare for all to hear in the songs?  
?       Was it the uninhibited way Eric Lindquist played the bass - eyes closed, stomping, swaying and dancing before God in rhythmic abandon?  
?       Did the groove of Eric's bass and Mike Hylland's steady drumbeat get you moving?  
?       Was it the understated heart in Dan Salini's fiddle or the sweet sadness of his pedal steel guitar that made your eyes get a bit misty?  Perhaps it was the ruthless bark of Dan's electric guitar that jump-started you.  
?       Maybe the urgent emotion in Mary's lead vocals or the echo of that feeling in Sabina Linquist's harmonies reached past your cynicism and forced you to feel more deeply than you wanted to.  
?       It's possible that God used the personal thoughts Mary has woven between songs to touch places inside you that you don't normally think about.  

More likely, however, is that God Himself was simply present at that Traveling Mercies concert, and the band was merely a vessel for Him to do some spiritual work on the souls in the seats.  It's His Spirit and the souls He works on that drives Traveling Mercies to do what they do.  

In the summer of 1999, Mary and Eric felt an irresistible calling to write some songs and make their country-flavored record - The Road To You.  A year-and-a-half later, the band has a new album - Directions Home - and a fresh outlook on life and ministry.  The diversity of styles and tempos on Directions Home has something for every generation.  

?       A hint-of-Hendrix on "In Your Presence" and the Fab-Four inspired "What Did You Come Here For?" give a nod to the sixties.  
?       The sad sweetness of the title cut - saturated with Dan Salini's mournful steel guitar  - is just a little bit country.  
?       A friend remarked about the light-hearted "Ain't It Funny?" " There's definitely an   umbrella in that drink."  
?       The mandolin-driven "Not Ashamed" and the contemplative acoustic song "Make Me Like You" both have singable worship choruses.  
?       "The Empty Chair," co-written by Dan and Mary, looks deeply into the stormy relationship between a father and son.  
?       An energetic cover of Todd Snider's "Somebody's Coming" is a crowd-pleasing favorite among TM fans.  
?       The sweeping Hosea-inspired epic "You Are Here" portrays an unfaithfulness of Biblical proportions.  

When asked recently "Why does Traveling Mercies do 'music ministry'?" Mary Goldring answered ". . .because, as Jeremiah says 'I have a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.'"  (Jeremiah 20:9)