About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

On Mark Schultz's third release, Stories & Songs, the enigmatic singer-songwriter offers 12 compositions that urge listeners toward introspection. The message is to make the most of our time on earth -- a nice approach for a CCM artist; too many put their focus on the afterlife, or offer superficial "God loves you" pablum, forgetting that a Christian's most important calling is to be the hands and feet of God on earth. Stories & Songs is full of lush pop anthems, tender ballads, and the occasional up-tempo radio-ready pop song. But Schultz has borrowed heavily from his fellow CCM artists here; "Running Just to Catch Myself" and "Everywhere" are nicely crafted pop songs that are overly influenced by Steven Curtis Chapman, while the album's cornerstone ballad, "Time That's Left," borrows a melodic hook directly from Chris Rice's "Praise Goes On." Most egregious is Schultz's heartfelt ballad about a family unraveling, "Do You Even Know Me Anymore." Beautifully performed, it would be more powerful if it didn't so clearly resemble Patty Loveless's country hit "You Don't Even Know Who I Am," both in lyric and melody. And that seems to be the issue with Mark Schultz: he ably pulls off a well-produced, well-performed collection of radio-friendly pop, but he'd make a more powerful statement if his music were a bit more original. Lisa Zhito, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating:
• Ratings: 2Reviews: 2