Customer Reviews

Broken & Beautiful

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I truly enjoy Mark Schultz. My 1st favorite CD will be his Stories and Songs Live album--it will be very hard for anything to surpass that. The stories he tells really make you feel...

This CD is very special, also. My favorites are destined to be Christian radio hits--"1000 miles" and "Broken and Beautiful". I can see "Broken and Beautiful" being sung in churches all over this country.

"Everything to me" is one that will mean so much to so many people--It is about his adoption "When you gave me up, you gave everything to me" and you can just picture this story with every word that is sung--brings out the emotions.

Unfortunatley, I do happen to agree with the previous review about "Walking her home". I love the live version's lyrics and tone--the new one is changed up and while it also paints an interesting picture, I prefer the live version, even though it was unfinished.

"She Was Watching" will tug at any woman's heart--if you don't have any kids, you have a daddy for sure. I really like it, even though it seems to mimic "Butterfly Kisses" in a sense. I love the message that children can't be taught faith, they catch it along the way by your example--true "lifestyle evangelism" at home.

Another great one from Mark Schultz. Keep them coming!

I absolutely love this CD, as I do all of his others. I bought it the day it came into stores and haven't taken it out of my CD players yet! Every song on it has a message that speaks volumes. I love everything about the music from the lyrics to the composition and orchestration.

If I had to pick a favorite song (which is always hard because I love them all) I would say "Walking her Home." It is a beautiful story of true, pure, lasting love from it's beginning into eternity. Bring tears to my eyes every time.

It's hard to deny afer hearing ALL of his music (not just this CD), that God is working through him and his music. After putting out this much music, all of which is absolutely wonderful, it's clear to me how gifted he is. I could be here for hours explaining the beauty of every song on the CD. Go get it and see for yourself!!

This CD is just awesome! In some ways it is very different from Mark's other CDs, but at the same time it includes several story telling songs that have made me cry, like the others he has put out.

After 3 years of hearing partial versions of "Walking Her Home", it is finally finished, and done masterfully.

Mark is a very personable artist, and that comes through on this CD. It is a wonderful witness of Christ's love and offers a little bit of everything music wise.

I am very glad to add this to my collection.

I'm a huge fan of Mark's music; after I came back into the church, his lyrics were an wonderful inspiration as I changed my life.

The new album is a switch in tone for him. The story songs are still present, but the overall tone seems to be even more upbeat (perhaps his recent marriage provided inspiration?) than on past recordings. As always, his way of passing on God's message seems to be exactly what is needed for the time.

The title track on Broken & Beautiful will end up becoming a worship standard. My other current favorite is Until I See You Again...what an amazingly positive message about God not wanting us to let life pass us by!

My only complaint is in the mastering...this album has much more of a pop sound due to the overly increased bass. Of course, I'm picky...I'm a pro sound engineer. :-) Now if I could only figure out how to get the house mix gig for Mark....

Mark Schultz is an up and coming Christian musician who is widely known for his Mark Across America tour - when he rode his bicycle from California to Maine. (The profits went to support The James Fund which helps widows and orphans around the world.) Anyway, he is an excellent singer, producing many wonderful and touching songs.

I must say that this is the first Mark Schultz album that I got, and I really loved it. I loved Walking Her Home, which is probably the greatest love song I have EVER heard, and Broken & Beautiful, a great statement of faith. This is a great album, one that I highly recommend to all believers...and to all lovers of fine contemporary music.

I have to admit that I feel a bit let down by "Broken & Beautiful", which is sad since I had been looking forward to this CD for a couple months. I don't think the quality of it is too far below Mark's previous works, but his signature pop-piano is missing and that's one of my favorite aspects of his music. The variety of songs is great, as usual, as is Mark's incredibly distinctive voice, but it seems a bit too much like the majority of contemporary christian music being offered up. The distinctive sound I've come to love gets a bit lost in the guitar. Perhaps I should have seen it coming when I saw him with Phillips, Craig & Dean in August and he performed my favorite song of his, "You Are A Child of Mine" not from behind the keyboard but with an acoustic guitar in hand. I also found the title of the song "Until I See You Again" odd and a bit misleading as it also happens to be the name of the song Mark wrote and recorded with Jim Brickman for Jim's Greatest Hits record.

Please don't let this deter your purchase of "Broken & Beautiful" though, especially if you are as big a fan of Mark as I am. It is definitely a departure from his norm, but it is certainly not a bad effort. True, I was expecting something different and a bit more familiar, but after a few listens it's definitely growing on me. My favorites are the title track which always has me singing along loudly (and quite badly) by the end and I was overjoyed to finally hear the completed version of "He's Walking Her Home". Perhaps the closest thing to what I would consider "classic Mark Schultz" would be the ballad version of "Until I See You Again", which is stunning. I do miss the prevelance of the piano, since that is what hooked me on his music way back when "I Am The Way" was first released on the radio, but I applaud him for branching out and trying something new. It's a valiant effort, but falls a bit short in my book. Perhaps that is because I was anticipating something else, though.

I would recommend "Stories & Songs" first and foremost to anyone looking to try him out. It's an awesome representation of what he can do, with an impressive array of styles displayed. Next to "Mark Schultz Live", "Broken & Beautiful" is probably my least favorite but still definitely worth checking out.

I'm adopted and the songs on this CD is very meaningful to me. Thank you for having it at such a reasonable price. I don't have a lot of money to spend and getting it new for such a low rate really made me happy.

Broken & Beautiful [CD & DVD]
If you were adopted, this CD is for you!!!! The song "Everything To Me" is about adoption, and everyone affected by adoption needs to hear this song!!!! Well worth the money even if you buy just to hear the above mentioned song!!! Also, the song "Walking Her Home" is awesome!!!

Okay, I am a CD fanatic,so let's just say I preview LOT'S of CD's all the time just for fun, and to see which one's I want to purchase. This man is the BEST Christian artist out there!! The thing that appeals to me about Mark the most I have to say, is the way he writes his songs. Some Christian singers (and other types of recording artists, too) have a knack for singing about things that either don't make a whole lot of sense, or that just don't strike anyone very emotionally. Mark is different. I was just discussing his music with my mom the other day, and we were both in agreement about how it's his simplicity...his genuine feelings for those who have gone through pain, joy etc. that makes him different. He writes about REAL LIFE HAPPENINGS! No one will be disappointed in buying any or all of his Cd's (like I have!). :)

If you like pop music, then how about trying Christian pop music instead. Mark Schultz powerful vocal can matches that of the commerical singers in the market. The only exception is that he uses his voice to sing for God. Songs like 1000 miles and Until I see you again will inspire you. Keep it up, Mark ! Good work !