John Mark McMillan - The Song Inside The Sounds Of Breaking Down

Published Monday 22nd May 2006
John Mark McMillan - The Song Inside The Sounds Of Breaking Down
John Mark McMillan - The Song Inside The Sounds Of Breaking Down

STYLE: Pop
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 16471-9167
LABEL: Independent
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RRP: £10.00

Reviewed by Ewan Jones

Charlotte, North Carolina-based rock man John Mark McMillan delivers a great CD that hooks you in from the first fuzzy bars of "London Town" and just continues to grow on you. It's definitely a layered experience - by the end of your first time through, the melodies are in your head. On the second and third listens, the cleverness and the un-clichéd poetry of John Mark's lyrics and the thoughtful arrangements begin to grab hold. His voice is distinctive but carries the depth of Third Day's Mac Powell and the rawness and vulnerability of early Switchfoot's Jon Forman. Equally, the music vies between southern country rock (you could line dance to the verses on "Next To You" before it all rocks out) and indie-funk. John Mark's band performs admirably - their rhythms are intelligent and imaginative, as is the production, particularly on tracks like "Ashes And Flames", opening with a melancholic acoustic drawl and ending in distorted beats and warped electronics. The CD is packed with honest expressions of the doubts and hopes, questions and faith of a struggling, journeying Christian. Definitely one of the best independent albums to come out this year.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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Reader Comments

Posted by Emery @ 16:10 on Sep 13 2008

John Mark just released a new CD called "The Medicine"
It is amazing!!
Some of the songs are on his myspace.com/johnmarkmcmillan



Posted by Lizz Walker in MI @ 16:45 on Oct 25 2007

John Mark and Sarah McMillan are both God-given talents and blessings to this earth. May His angels surround them all the time and make a way for them in safety and love. Their music, their passion, and their organization has blessed me over and over again.



Posted by Thiago Gomes in Curitiba, Brasil @ 19:48 on Jul 24 2007

When I first listenned to one of JohnMark's songs I was in Mozambique, two years ago. It really captured my attention. Since then I tried to find more about his music and albuns. Last week JohnMark himself, his band and his wife were here in Brasil for a conference and I finally had the chance to buy one of his albuns and even more. The live experience is powerful. They played a few songs translated to Portuguese and delivered some new stuff. There're some more fantastic songs to come!



Posted by Mark Pearson in Manchester @ 15:27 on Jun 25 2007

I had the privalidge of meeting John Mark last year when he came over with Leonard Jones also from Morning Star Charlotte when they came to my church to do a worship conference. They also did my churches weekend away. John Marks songs are very up lifting, and the album grabs you from the first note. I especially like the song 'How he Loves'



The opinions expressed in the Reader Comments are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms.

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