The Jesus Record

AMG Review of The Jesus Record

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

The Jesus Record is a bittersweet testament to the late Rich Mullins, who died in an auto accident shortly before he would have started the album. The first disc of the two-CD set contains the demos for The Jesus Record, all of which are performed by Mullins alone, accompanied either by a piano or guitar. Mullins never had the opportunity to properly record these songs. Instead, the Ragamuffin Band recorded them officially, with vocalists like Phil Keaggy, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith filling in for Mullins on vocals. It's an affecting tribute to Mullins' talent -- not only are the demos quite moving, but the completed record nearly matches those peaks. Either way, it's a nice way to say goodbye to one of the major forces in '90s CCM.