"The duo of Deborah Bly and Ana Hernández, known at The Miserable Offenders,* created imaginative and enduring music together. Their short-lived but powerful collaboration leaves an archive of performances and recordings that remain examples of how the ministry of two dedicated musicians can instill a liveliness to music the church has long sung and yet maintain a depth of spirit and message. These twelve selections from two recordings, Keepin’ the Baby Awake and God Help Us, represent a cross section of The Miserable Offenders' style: the interplay of Deb and Ana’s voices, Deb’s flexible and popular keyboard accompaniments (listen to “Breathe on me, breath of God”), Ana’s tongue drum arrangements and djembe playing (""Psalm 42"" and “Angels we have heard on high”) along with their host of musician friends who add everything from uillean pipes to stringed bass, to various percussion instruments. You’ll find yourself singing along on most of these pieces – and that’s what it’s all about, after all.
*The name comes from the General Confession in Morning Prayer from The Book of Common Prayer, 1928: “. . . But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those who confess their faults. . . .” (page 6)."
