My apologies up front if I sound a bit off; I'm still suffering from that headache, more often than not. It comes and goes, and I'm not sure what's causing it. Of course, it could just be eye strain, though that doesn't explain the intermittent dizziness and suddenly feeling hot…
At any rate, today I decided to review the first song I remember falling in love with as a child. I know the cassette tape Winds Of Heaven, Stuff Of Earth was the first cassette I'd ever been given as a child. I think I received it, then fell in love with the song, though. (And then got the CD some years later when I no longer had the cassette…)
If you aren't familiar with Rich Mullins, you likely aren't too familiar with CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). Rich Mullins was prolific and passionate, and his songs are commonly covered by other artists and sung in churches that worship with contemporary music. (Most popular are "Awesome God" and "Step by Step".)
He also died in a wreck in 1997. Thus why you might not have heard of him if you've only started listening to CCM in the past decade.
I've complained here before about how CCM is full of—well, not hacks, exactly, but folks who try too hard to mimic what's popular. I don't think Rich Mullins cared about what was selling in the secular world. The album Winds Of Heaven, Stuff Of Earth came out in 1988, but it doesn't sound like any of the '80s music I've heard. It sounds… like '90s CCM by someone who actually understood what he was putting together.
Genre-wise, "The Other Side of the World" is called a worship CCM song, but as for what that sounds like… Think a smooth upbeat soft rock kinda sound, and I think you'll have the right idea. It's mostly acoustic, with dabbles of electronic here and there, and it all melds perfectly to my ear.
Of course, that might just be because I've been listening to this song for two decades.
And Hebrew. At least, I think those children are singing Hebrew at the beginning.
I doubt the lyrics of "The Other Side of the World" will appeal to anyone who isn't Christian. Rich Mullins often pulls direct quotes and paraphrases from Scripture, which I find fitting, since he's a Christian singing for Chrisitans. The song testifies about false assumptions. For example, the world isn't really all that big—for believers are united into one family regardless of the distance—but growing that family isn't as easy as we tend to expect or hope.
"The Other Side of the World" also reminds listeners that Satan was "impaled on the sword of the Word". Encouraging, that.
Rich Mullins' voice sings in a clear style that makes me think "everyman". He isn't slurring and trying to sound cool, but nor is he aiming for professional classical singing. It's the kind of style that's standard for praise music, but he knows how to breathe and enunciate properly.
Overall, good song for Christians. Not so good if Christian theology offends you. But that's true of Rich Mullins in general.
Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 9/10
Check out Winds Of Heaven, Stuff Of Earth
No comments:
Post a Comment