Mitch McVicker
may tire of living in the
shadow of
the legacy of Rich Mullins, but with
the national
re-issue of his indie project, he is
going to
have to wait a little longer to stand on
his own merits.
Co-produced by Mullins,
before his
death in 1997, and Ragamuffin Mark
Robertson,
Mitch McVickeris a solo effort,
presenting
the songs and voice of the
singer/songwriter.
But listeners will likely be
enigmatically
drawn to the songs where
Mullins co-wrote,
sang or played piano.
There’s a
crisp, folk/rock vibe throughout the
project’s
10 tracks, plus a very different
version of
"My Deliverer," a song Mullins and
McVicker
co-wrote; the song was later
recorded
for The Jesus Record (Myrrh).
Robertson
plays bass, Kenny Greenberg gifts
the record
with his strong guitar presence, and
McVicker
sings with unexpected confidence
and ease.
His down-home storytelling style
works with
the easygoing tone of his songs.
"Take Hold
of Me" features McVicker on
harmonica
in a song that suggests the
influence
of Bruce Springsteen. There and
throughout
tracks like "Hope," "The Lemonade
Song" and
the lovely "New Mexico," McVicker
does find
his
own space—indeed, his songs
make their
own space.
—Brian Quincy Newcomb