Album: The Passion Of The Christ: Original Songs Inspired By The Film

Artist: Various Artists

Label: Lost Keyword Records

Tracks: 12

Length: 51:10

               Reviewed By: Justin Brinker

 

“The Passion of the Christ” was the most moving experience I had ever had at a movie theater.  It wasn’t necessarily a good experience but rather one that I will look back on and be thankful that I was able to be so deeply touched and moved by a film.  Unfortunately when a work of art like “The Passion” has such an impact on society there will always be those who will try to capture the spirit of the film via other avenues and most of the time it is beyond mediocre.  “The Passion of the Christ: Original Songs Inspired By the Film” is a collection of songs by artists who were “inspired” by this film and thus this is a tribute album of sorts.

 

“The Passion” starts off in typical CCM fashion with heavyweights Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Mercy Me with their collaboration “I See Love.” It isn’t a bad song, save the vocals of Third Day’s Mac Powell, driven by both piano and electric guitar while each vocalist takes the lead on the verses. The CCM comparisons and artists pretty much is non-existent throughout the rest of the album, but that doesn’t mean it gets better.

 

It is very unfortunate that former Creed vocalist Scott Stapp has resurfaced and even more unfortunate that he is on this album.  This has to get my vote for one of the worst songs this year.  It is almost identical to any slow Creed song with clean picking part on the verses and a grungy guitar sound on the choruses but somehow this is much worse. Vocally it sounds like someone doing karaoke of Creed but over emphasizing Stapp’s accent and vocals to the point of sounding like a bad imitation, the sad part is that it is actually Stapp.  P.O.D. contributes “Amazing” a song that continues in the vein of the rock sound that they have evolved into and is one of the better songs on the record. 

 

Kirk Franklin teams up with Yolanda Adams on “How Many Lashes” a typical Franklin spoken word track with Adams echoing throughout the song over the piano and drums.  BeBe Winans and Angie Stone also collaborate in the bluesy piano laden “Miracle Of Love” and it is a beautiful song, while Lauren Hill’s “The Passion” just bores the listener with the same line “If they only showed love” sung over and over again.

 

MXPX contributes “The Empire” with special guest vocalist Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 and this is probably the most aggressive and the best song I have heard from them since “Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo” and is arguably the best song on this album.  Charlotte Church’s “Finding My Own Way”  is not bad but it isn’t good either and Big Dismal closes out the album with “Reason I Live.”

 

Much like the film, this compilation had a chance and a platform to be able to transcend many boundaries, lacking in creativity and at times talent this in turn does nothing of the sort.