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Music Producer Adam Anders (Glee, Rock of Ages) has put together and especially re-arranged modern hits including “Mad World”
and “Unconditionally” to tell the story of Jesus of Nazareth from the Last Supper to his resurrection. Describing the music, Anders said:
“All the songs are modern hits. There’s no Christian songs. There’s no
religious songs at all. When you go through the hits from the last couple
decades, it’s unbelievable how many No.1 songs have religious
messages.”
The SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack was released on 18 March 2016. And wow! You might be wondering,
as I had, how convincing it would be to hear Jesus covering Katy Perry’s
“Unconditionally”. But, rest assured it all comes together beautifully
musically. Here is a brief lowdown:
“When Love Takes Over” (Five Stars)
Original: Kelly Rowland; Cover: Yolanda Adams
How can you go wrong with Yolanda’s voice? She is the queen of Gospel and
starts the show/album off with a strong/hopeful number.
“Love Can Move Mountains” (Four Stars)
Original: Celine Dion; Cover: The PASSION Cast
Thankfully there was no attempt to emulate Celine’s diva chops. Instead this is a chorus number that you immediately find yourself clapping along to.
“My Love is Your Love” (Four Stars)
Original: Whitney Houston; Cover: Trisha Yearwood
Again there was no trying to replicate Whitney’s signature sound. Trisha made it her own. Wonder how many churches will be trying for the copyright to sing this in the next few months?
“Home” (Four Stars)
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| Chris Daughtry & Jencarlos Canela. (c) Fox. |
Original: Phillip Phillips; Cover: Jencarlos & Prince Royce
It is a beautiful song and works quite well as a duet to showcase the friendship/relation between Jesus and Peter.
“With Arms Wide Open” (Four Stars)
Original: Creed; Cover: Jencarlos
I never heard the original but Jencarlos has a gorgeous voice making this
a number I am definitely looking forward to. Perhaps this is used during the Gethsemane scene?
“Hands” (Five Stars)
Original: Jewel; Cover: Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood is at the top of her game with these gorgeous covers. I have no doubt she’ll bring tears to the viewers tomorrow night with this
emotional number!
“Bring Me to Life” (Five Stars – Must buy!)
Original: Evanescence; Cover: Daughtry
Holy cow! Now that is exciting. I have been a fan of Evanescence for some
time and remember gettin chills the first time I heard this track and now Daughtry has put his own touch on the number and I can see this being a very powerful and emotional way for Judas to showcase his pain and confusion.
“Calling All Angels” (Five Stars)
Original: Train; Cover: Jencarlos
Again, I never heard this number before but Jencarlos’ voice is so beautiful
and this song seems to have been written for The Passion! Goosies, me thinks?
“I Won’t Give Up” (Five Stars)
Original: Jason Mraz; Cover: Trisha Yearwood
Echoing some of the lyrics from “Calling All Angels”, Trisha Yearwood creates a gorgeous and haunting song of mother loving son. Beautiful.
“Demons” (FIVE Stars — Must buy!)
Original: Imagine Dragons; Cover: Chris Daughtry & Jencarlos
Yep, another song I never heard before but this is amazing. A duet between
Jesus and Judas. O gosh, love it! These men sing so beautifully together
and some of these lyrics I felt must have been written just for this show. A
great reminder of how much they truly loved each other. Perfection.
“The Reason” (Four Stars)
Original: Hoobastank; Cover: Prince Royce
Okay, you’ll see a trend that I don’t know these numbers but what I love are
the glorious violins and how well the lyrics match Peter’s anguish after
the betrayal. Adam Anders truly chose some amazing numbers to tell the
story!
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Three Stars)
Original: Carousel; Cover: Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood could sing the phonebook and she does justice to this iconic number that has become a regular at funerals. I however find it one of the weaker song choices.
“We Don’t Need Another Hero” (Five Stars)
Original: Tina Turner; Cover: Seal & Jencarlos
Yep, these guys are covering a Tina Turner number. And wow — it is amazing! It works as a great showcase of these two beautiful voices and furthers the plot.
“Mad World” (Five Stars – Must Buy!)
Original: Tears for Fears; Cover: Seal
I was worried about this song because it is so epic and Adam Lambert’s
version still gives me goosies but I should not have had any fears. Seal’s voice is like butter. Love it! And what a fabulous choice of a song for Pilate to sing! Again I really have to give lots of credit to Adam Anders on these song choices.
“Broken” (Five Stars – Must buy!)
Original: Lifehouse; Cover: Trisha Yearwood
O gosh; bring out those tissues (AGAIN). Trisha Yearwood proves herself
to be an exceptional choice for Mother Mary with this number.
“Unconditionally” (Five Stars -Must buy!)
Original: Katy Perry; Cover: Jencarlos
Well he did it. Jencarlos sang “Unconditionally” as if it was written just for him and for his character of Jesus. Brilliant!
There are several bonus tracks available on the Target and Walmart exclusive copies of the album.
At Walmart, for the price of $13.88 you can ALSO receive:
- “When The Saints Go Marching In” – Yolanda Adams feat. Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- “With Arms Wide Open (Spanish Version)” – Jencarlos
At Target, for the price of $13.99 you can ALSO receive:
- “He Will Never End” – Michael W. Smith
- “Hold You Up (Extended Mix)” – Shane Harper
Hope you enjoyed the 20 March 2016 broadcast. If you missed the broadcast, you can find it on DEMAND, on the FOX App, and internationally it will be available starting 22 March 2016 on Netflix.