Mark Heard

Item: High Noon
Author: Beth Blinn

High Noon

(1993)

Reviewed by Beth Blinn

Discogs Bandcamp

Label FingerprintThe LighthouseFebruary 1994

acoustic americana folk rock singer-songwriter

For those not familiar with his work, Mark Heard was a singer-songwriter who was held in the highest esteem by many musicians, both in the Christian and secular industry. Artists such as Randy Stonehill, Phil Keaggy, and others have recorded his songs. He worked as a producer with groups as diverse as Jacob's Trouble and Vigilantes of Love. Recordings of his own music were considered great by critics, but just never seemed to catch on with the average Christian music listener. But that didn't stop Heard from producing some great stuff in either music market.

Tragically, Heard passed away a year and a half ago after he suffered several heart attacks at the young age of 41. And, as it seems to happen too frequently in the artistic world, he is finally starting to get some of the recognition that he deserved while he was still alive. Myrrh and Epic Records are jointly distributing a compilation album, High Noon, to the Christian and secular markets. Consisting of eighteen cuts taken from Heard's last three independent releases, Dry Bones Dance, Second Hand, and Satellite Sky, and several unreleased songs, the record is a great introduction to Heard's talent.

In the tradition of the greatest singer-songwriters, Heard's music has a way of reaching out and pulling you into the songs. He was a gifted lyricist who could paint vivid word pictures. His music is generally acoustic in nature, utilizing a wide variety of instruments.

Some of the best songs are "Another Day In Limbo," "Everything is Alright," "Dry Bones Dance," and "My Redeemer Lives," which appeared on the Derri Daugherty/Steve Hindalong praise and worship production, At The Foot Of The Cross, Vol. I. "Everything Is Alright," which was also recorded by Phil Keaggy on his Sunday's Child disc, is a rolling song of comfort about dealing with circumstances. "Another Day In Limbo" is more upbeat, with a riff that tends to stick in your head. "Dry Bones Dance" is a country flavored tune, that gets your toes tapping. "My Redeemer Lives" is classic-a lovely song that should be integrated into modern hymnals. It also features some great backup singing by Julie Miller.

If you are not familiar with Mark Heard's work, this is a great introduction, and record sales will directly benefit Heard's wife and young daughter, who are left with some very high medical bills due to the usual musician situation of not having medical insurance. A tribute album is also in the works that would see such artists as Bruce Cockburn, Sam Phillips, Ashley Cleveland, The Choir, Rich Mullins, Kevin Smith (of DC Talk), and others recording Heard's songs.