Music was one of Sandra Marlowe's first loves.

She sang her first solo, "Away in a Manger," when she was about 6, in the little gospel church her parents attended, in a small community on the plains of North Dakota.

Surrounded by a family of singers, musicians and poets, Marlowe was destined to lead a life filled with song.

"My whole family, oh my gosh, when we got together we would sing three- and four-part harmonies," Marlowe said Wednesday in a phone interview with The Press. "We were quite a crazy musical family."

Marlowe, of Coeur d'Alene, is an accomplished vocalist and entertainer with a career that began with years of academic and private study in voice, piano, opera, acting, drama, dance, composition and musicianship. She currently performs jazz, blues and swing music for events, festivals and clubs throughout the U.S. Marlowe is also the musical director at the Unity Center of Divine Love and Light in Spokane.

When she is in tune with her voice and the music she creates, she describes it as being "the closest to my essence of who I am."

"When I am really riding that ride, or creating right then and there, and connecting with something higher — you might call it God or divine presence — it feels timeless," she said. "I'm in that timeless place where I'm connecting with something greater than myself. And that is always my goal with my audience, to give them as much as I can of that experience, to take them to that place that moves them or makes them feel good."

Working in show business, it's easy for entertainers to stray from what brought them there in the first place.

"Sometimes you lose touch with your own bliss about why you do music and why you’re performing and why you’re singing," Marlowe said.

Her new album, "The Heart Always Remembers," has songs named "When Did You Leave Heaven," "Corner Store Blues," "Let the Music Take You" and the titular track, "The Heart Always Remembers."

The album is a reminder to rediscover the passion and love that presses us on in life.

For Marlowe, that's music.

"I remember as a teenager, it's this blissful thing you love to do," she said. "I wanted to return to that bliss."

She described what it's like to find that moment of bliss on the stage.

"You can hear the pin drop and you know you're on the same page," she said. "Those are the best moments, those magic moments where everything is supposed to be where it’s supposed to be and the band is hot and everyone is right there with you."

While music was one of her first loves, Marlowe's true love is her husband Jim. They've been together 27 years and celebrated 25 years of marriage last year.

"He's my valentine," she said. "Anyone who’s been involved with a musician knows it’s a feast or famine type of existence. He has been my solid support system and really helped make it possible for me to be a musician."

Find "The Heart Always Remembers" and more of Marlowe's music on major digital download and streaming sites.

Info: www.sandramarlowe.com