Much has been written of Rich Mullins since the tragic day last year which took him from this earth. His lasting legacy seems to have been twofold, with his impact on those around him being as important as his musical output. That musical output is what is being recognized in this release as some of his most prominent fans have been pulled together to play a selection of Mullins's best loved tracks.
Tribute albums can be difficult things to contribute to. The artist is often uncertain as to whether they should attempt to recreate the original sound or rebuild the song by engaging with it themselves. This album would seem to contain a mixture of both approaches. Michael W. Smith brings us the most upbeat track with an "adult oriented rock" approach to "Awesome God." The rest of the album moves from the gentle acoustic feel of Carolyn Arends's interpretation of "Jacob and 2 Women" and Jars of Clay's take on "If I Stand" to the congregational nature of Caedmon's Call's version of "Step By Step" to the gentle programming of contributions from Kevin Max (DC Talk) and Billy Sprague. Kevin Max's vocals show a very Bono-esque style to them, but unfortunately his track rises to an inappropriate crescendo.
One of the strongest memories that seem to have remained with the people who knew about Rich Mullins was his unassuming nature. This was often reflected in his best music, and that continues here in the fact that the best tracks have an unassuming stripped back quality. Unfortunately, they're not all like that.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Cathy CourtwrightReed Arvin, in a written introduction states perfectly that, "This recording is not about Rich Mullins: it's about his songs. I like that. I don't want to worship Rich or idolize him or pretend he didn't have defects. I just want to hear his music because I love it so much and because that's all there is now...." And that is how this project should be listened to. Unfortunately, in an attempt to…
