Published on May 16, 2000
I normally don’t like to review contemporary Christian music,
simply because I usually find the songs to be too preachy and not
centered enough on the music. Besides, Michael Ehret is the
resident CCM expert on staff, so I normally don’t have to worry
about it.
But in the case of the soundtrack for the mini-series
Jesus, there was a natural curiosity about this project.
Having been raised in a strict Catholic environment, this shouldn’t
be too big of a surprise. (And while I have not watched the entire
mini-series, the ten minutes I caught the other night really
impressed me.)
Yet I can’t help but wonder if this disc is truly a piece to
complement the mini-series or just another soundtrack designed to
promote certain artists. There are some absolutely beautiful
moments on
Jesus, but too often, I fear that this disc falls into the
latter category.
Problem number one: this disc features “music inspired by” the
mini-series – meaning that some of these songs will not be heard on
the telecast. That means that the producers of this disc could take
a more market-friendly approach and put songs on it that would
appeal to buyers as well as to radio. Somehow, I don’t think that’s
staying close to the original soul of the project.
And why so much pop music for this project? They sure didn’t
have it in Jesus’s time – and if they did, no doubt that Judas
Iscariot would have been a bigshot executive in the music business.
(No, no, wait a minute… did I really say that?)
Let’s look at the musical masterpieces first. The original
soundtrack’s theme as composed by Patrick Williams really makes me
wish that more of the mini-series’s music had been the focus point.
There is a gentle texture to Williams’s composition, so much so
that it seamlessly flows into LeAnn Rimes’s “I Need You”. I have to
admit, this is a beautiful song that rightfully showcases Rimes as
a talent whose star has not yet peaked.
The same can be said for Lonestar, who make an appearance with
“Love Can Change Your Mind”. The more I hear this group, the more I
like them, and this track should win them even more fans – that is,
anyone who wasn’t won over with “Amazed”. And Sarah Brightman’s
classical touch on “Pie Jesu” is simply haunting. This is the kind
of vibe I really wanted to feel on this soundtrack.
Instead, we are left with some really questionable performances.
DC Talk is one of the leaders in the CCM music scene – so did they
really have to cover Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit In The Sky”? The
song sucked then, and it sure isn’t any better now. And while the
original version of “Shining Star” (from Earth, Wind & Fire)
was enjoyable, Yolanda Adams does it no justice with her cover.
Much of the rest of
Jesus is hit-and-miss. 98°’s contribution “The Love That
You’ve Been Looking For” is pleasant, but Avalon seems like
overkill with their track “Fly To You”. It almost feels like the
producers wanted to strike a balance between boy bands and girl
bands with this. Other artists making contributions I happened to
enjoy were Hootie & The Blowfish, Steven Curtis Chapman and
Edwin McCain.
I like
Jesus because it’s not overtly preachy – but then again,
with the plethora of pop music that is on this disc, it would be
difficult to really plant a religious message in some of the songs.
And somehow, I think that this moves away from the original goal of
the disc, which was to complement the television drama. Had there
been a little more focus on the music from the telefilm, the sales
might not have been as good, but I think the overall feel of the
disc would have been more natural. (Okay, so that’s what the score
album is for… some call it marketing.)
Jesus is sure to plant a song or two on the pop charts for a
few months, and it is a decent though flawed collection of
artists… but if Jesus himself had been overseeing the production
of this CD, something tells me he would have cleared things out the
way he did the money changers in the temple. (See, Sister Mary
Humerus? I
did pay attention in class! Now, can I have my Spider-Man
comics back?)