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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
