A Favorite Media Text: Songs by Rich Mullins

One of my all time favorite albums is Songs by the late Rich Mullins.

What genre does it belong to?

That is a loaded question.

It really depends on who you ask...

Fans would probably say "Contemporary Christian Music." The majority of Mullins' fan-base came from within the Christian community during the 80s and 90s.

Critics would also be likely to say "Contemporary Christian Music." The reason they would say this is because of the formal conventions of lyrics. An artist who talks about "pimps in the crib" is likely to belong to the genre of rap. The artist who talks about "that red dirt road" could possibly be from the genre of country music. Likewise, the artist who talks about "God the Father" could possibly be from the genre of contemporary Christian music. Lyrics are a determining factor in genre, although they probably do not hold as much weight as the musical style does.

The producers would have a tougher time determining the genre than these last two groups. The reason is they would have a difficult time is because Mullins employed several musical styles in his music. There are elements of pop, world and classical in his music. To make the album Songs, the producer would need an orchestra, a piano, drums, a keyboard, a hammered dulcimer, a huge drum, guitars, a bass, cups, and a choir. They would probably say that Mullins' music was pop, but this would not completely convey the uniqueness of his music.

Artists would recognize it as a form of pop with some world music thrown in. Any good musician would realize that the album is a true masterpiece. (Yes, I am biased. And yes, you will be too as soon as you hear the album.)

This album achieves a delicate balance between convention and invention. Mullins does follow some of the conventions of pop music. He employs verses and choruses, and there is a strong vocal presence. On the other hand, he also uses a ton of invention. An example of this is the song "Sing Your Praise to The Lord." The opening is a melodic line from Bach played by an orchestra, yet as the song progresses the piano comes in and then the drums start up. All of a sudden, you hear fresh guitar chords and Mullins has taken the listener from ancient classical melodies into a modern pop praise song.

I highly recommend this album. Mullins was both an excellent poet, and an excellent musician. Most people just know him as "the guy who wrote 'Awesome God'," but there is so much more to both his music and his life. If you are interested in his life, as well as his music, I would recommend the book An Arrow Pointing to Heaven.