The vast majority of this album mirrors all that’s wrong with Christian radio (at least from the perspective of a teenager … or an older magazine editor that thinks he’s still a teenager); and that’s schmaltzy, syrupy ballads and (eech) country music! When I heard about the concept of this album (artists responding to this powerful movie), I was hoping we’d hear tunes from folks like Trent Reznor, Moby, Mick Jagger, Metallica, etc. Alas, that’s not exactly how it turned out, because this was apparently never planned on being just a young person’s album. This ecumenical middle-of-the-road direction will be fine for older audiences; there’s just not much else to chew on otherwise. The good news is that Lauryn Hill, Kirk Franklin and MxPx lay down some cool vibes. The boys from Bremerton (plus Blink 182’s singer) deliver the hardest tune (which, ironically, sounds like a pulsing P.O.D. rocker), followed by the Southtown boys (whose “Truly Amazing” maybe sounds like a cross between “Sleeping Awake” and “Thinking About Forever”). Those that miss that “guy voice” of Creed’s former frontman will enjoy his “Relearn Love” ballad, which would fit very nicely onto any of their albums. For a cafeteria a la carte musical experience, there’s good eatin’ here. Just avoid the bland entrees. [Wind-Up] Doug Van Pelt
This review is different than the review of the same album printed in HM Magazine's Nov/Dec Issue #110. To get that issue, with many other reviews, you can order it online or find it at your local newsstand on or after October 29, 2004.
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While I agree with the the basic opinion expressed about the "bland entrees" on this CD, you missed mentioning what I think is the best song on the CD, "New Again" by Brad Paisley and Sara Evans. I don't even like country music but this song is such a great worship song it's a shame it is buried in amongst all the other shmaltzy stuff here.
