Broken & Beautiful (Compact Disc)

When it comes to creating songs that tug at the heartstrings and weave compelling stories, singer/songwriter Mark Schultz never misses the mark. His latest studio effort, Broken & Beautiful, is no exception. This time around, though, Schultz not only shares more of his signature story songs, but also reveals praise-oriented numbers that could easily become modern worship standbys.

Produced by Mark Bright (Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood) and Shaun Shankel (Natalie Grant, Hilary Duff), the 11 tracks featured here give listeners a deeper glimpse into Schultz’s heart and soul. From the poignant tale of enduring love in “He’s Walking Her Home” to the graceful reminder that children are impressionable in “She Was Watching,” Schultz handles subjects with tender care and relaxed confidence.

The Kansas native’s instantly recognizable, expressive vocals sustain every ballad and upbeat number. Particularly stout are lead-off track “40 Days,” a radio-friendly cut about trusting God during spiritually- dry times, and guitar-imbued “God of Life,” which speaks of living each day with an attitude of worship.

Among the slower-paced selections, standouts include piano- and orchestral-driven “1,000 Years” and country-tinged “Everything to Me,” an adoption-themed tune Schultz co-wrote with friend Cindy Morgan. The latter song is perhaps the most deeply personal of the set, considering Schultz was adopted as a young child. Then there’s the disc’s title track, which addresses human brokenness, albeit with fairly simplistic lyrics (“‘Cause there’s nothing more beautiful to God/Than when His sons and daughters come broken”).

While Schultz expands his borders a bit (consider the decidedly worshipful inclinations of “I’ll Sing for You,” for example), he never ventures too far from his familiar comfort zone as a storytelling tunesmith. Nevertheless, the project undoubtedly will appeal to Schultz’s core fan base as well as those who enjoy polished, energetic adult contemporary pop.

DAVID McCREARY

Review Provided by CCMmagazine.com

When it comes to having a natural ability to pull at heartstrings, singer/songwriter Mark Schultz is as gifted as they come. And, when you consider his new CD, Broken & Beautiful (Word), is his most personal recording yet, you have all the makings of a career album.

After relocating from Nashville to the Chapel Hill, N.C., area recently, singer/songwriter Mark Schultz thought his new surroundings would provide him virtual anonymity. Not that he minded being recognized for penning well-known songs such as “Remember Me” or “Back in His Arms Again.” He wasn’t even bothered when people thanked him countless times for recording tear-inducing hits “He’s My Son” and “Letters from War.” But Schultz, newly married (see the “First Comes Love, Then Comes…” sidebar) and moving to a quaint college town, had every reason to envision a much more private lifestyle than he experienced in Music City.

That’s until the cable guy showed up.

Schultz recounts the humorous story during an exclusive interview with CCM: “Soon after we moved in, we had a guy come in to hook up our cable television, and he said, ‘Hey, you look just like that singer who has the same last name as you!’”

Since that encounter, it seems word has spread about Schultz’s arrival to Tar Heel country. “We live in a cul-de-sac where there’s really no traffic, and you’d have to be lost to find your way back here,” he says. “Believe it or not, about six or eight times a day, people come back here, park in front of our house and just stare at it.”

So, why the fascination? It’s likely due to Schultz’s extraordinary success in the Christian pop market, where, in just six years, he’s scored seven No. 1 hits. More recently, he earned a top spot on Billboard magazine’s “Hot Christian Adult Contemporary Songwriters” list.

Schultz’s popularity is fueled by his catalog of enduringly memorable songs and his inimitable

storytelling style.
Even today, parents of special-needs children consider “He’s My Son,” released in 2000, a cathartic magnum opus. Armed service members and mothers of soldiers feel “Letters from War” is their personal anthem. And countless high school seniors embrace sentimental ballad “Remember Me” as a graduation hymn. Now, Schultz unveils a new studio project, Broken & Beautiful, that’s certain to keep him at the forefront of Christian music for the foreseeable future. The disc released on September 26. “I think it’s probably my strongest record from top to bottom,” says the Kansas-bred tunesmith. “A lot of beautiful songs are born out of the struggles of life, both during ordinary and broken times.”

Schultz says the songs on Broken & Beautiful are intended to resonate with a strong sense of emotional and spiritual authenticity. Once again, he relies on vivid storytelling to fashion expressive, heart-stirring tracks.

One such song is “Everything to Me,” a tune he co-wrote with good friend (and Reunion recording artist) Cindy Morgan. Addressing the subject of adoption, it’s one of the most deeply personal tracks Schultz has ever recorded. “I was adopted when I was two weeks old,” he reveals. “The truth in that song is that I’m grateful to even be alive because my birth mom cared enough to say, ‘I love you, but you’re going to have a better life with another family.’ To think that I will meet her in heaven one day and tell her ‘thank you’ will be an awesome experience.”

Co-writing the song with Schultz proved to be quite moving for Morgan. “Writing with Mark is such a blast; we laugh so much,” she explains. “This song was so emotional and personal, which is very different because we’re normally writing really upbeat and fun songs. And Mark is so talented—I truly believe he follows in the footsteps of musicians like Elton John and Billy Joel. He is a tremendous storyteller, and I thought it was wonderful how he was so vulnerable with this song. We wrote it in about three sessions. We worked until we got it right, and, through the process, we had so many tears. It was so special and personal, with him becoming a new husband and me being a parent myself.”

Already, Schultz has evidenced the life-changing power of “Everything to Me.” After performing the song at a fundraiser for Bethany Christian Services (an adoption and family services agency), someone approached him and said a young woman who attended the event was pregnant and had considered having an abortion. Once she heard the song’s moving message, however, she decided to give her baby up for adoption.

Another poignant song is “She Was Watching,” a ballad about a young girl who watches her parents live out their Christian faith and desires to be just like them. Schultz drew inspiration from a sermon titled “Faith Isn’t Caught, It’s Taught.” “Kids will often listen to what you say, but, more often, they emulate what you do,” he says.

To help him with the creative process, Schultz tapped A-list producer Mark Bright, known for his collaborations with Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and other top country artists. He also brought in a co-producer, friend and former neighbor Shaun Shankel (Natalie Grant, Destiny’s Child, Hilary Duff). “Mark does great story songs, and Shaun produces awesome praise & worship music. So it was a great marriage of the two,” Schultz explains.

Schultz is quick to point out that Broken & Beautiful represents “more of a praise & worship vibe than anything I’ve done before.” Indeed, upbeat tracks such as “40 Days” and “God of Life” are catchy, vertically-focused numbers that will likely emerge on radio.

In the end, though, the songs with moving storylines make Schultz shine brightest. “I’ve loved stories since I was little, and the thing that I love about telling them is letting people in on each story bit by bit,” he says. “It’s a way for people not to just listen to a song but to be a part of the overall experience. Ultimately, it’s about making a connection and pointing people toward heaven.”

Article Provided by CCMmagazine.com