Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


Mark Schultz, Renaissance
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Mark Schultz
Renaissance



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 10 tracks: 36 minutes, 42 seconds
Street Date: September, 2011


Take one large part Michael W. Smith, Freedom era, one part Jim Brickman on a very good day, toss in just a pinch of George Winston, and you've got Mark Schultz's Renaissance. Inspired by a trip to Europe, this project was conceived, birthed, and largely recorded in Florence, Italy. The finished product plays like a little string of musical post-cards. And what lovely post-cards they are.

The "Highlands" beckon with all the right pipes and whistles. The "Road to Girona" is joyful and full of promise. "Normandy" swells with solemn patriotic pride. "Snow in Paris" is quietly magical. The "Cathedrals" rise majestically. "Leaving Florence" is bittersweet. But at the end of the journey, "Coming Home" plays like a landing plane and a car rolling into a familiar driveway, to the tune of a romping piano and B-3 Hammond.

The title aside, there isn't anything authentically Renaissance-sounding about the project, so if you were looking for medieval lutes and lyres, you'll be disappointed; this is straightforward orchestrated pop. As mentioned earlier, it bears many resemblances to Michael W. Smith's instrumental project, Freedom. One could take a number of the tracks on Renaissance and simply pair them up with similar tracks on Freedom (e.g. "Normandy" and "Freedom," "Leaving Florence" and "The Giving," etc). The main difference between the two albums is that Renaissance is a little less epic, a little more focused on the piano. In fact, it never uses a full orchestra. However, many of the pieces would still feel right at home in a movie soundtrack.

If I could point out a weakness of the project, it would be that a few of the pieces sound over-produced -- "too Nashville," if you will. This can be a bit of a distraction in the midst of what is mostly a very lush, mellow album. "Off the Map" is a particularly odd track, jerking from peaceful piano to heavy drums and ominous strings to electric guitar angst and back to peaceful piano again. "Letters" is lovely, but, again, could have been better without the whole "works." Simply keeping it stripped down to the piano like "Road to Girona" would have improved it greatly. Speaking of "Road to Girona," it is without question my favorite track on the project. It's the dash of George Winston in the mix --a strikingly gorgeous piece that will send you careening to the piano to pick it out for yourself (if you're like me anyway).

Another small complaint is that the liner notes don't indicate which tracks actually feature Mark's piano playing and not another studio musician (he shared the load with Jason Webb and Bob Cooper). Fun tidbit: All the piano was recorded at St. Mark's Church in Florence.

But there is, really, not much to complain about on Renaissance. Fans of Mark will obviously snap this up, but this is good music that deserves a spin even for casual fans. You've heard the singer/songwriter side of Mark Schultz for the last decade. Now he unveils a new side: composer.

JFH Reader Review: Review date: 10/29/11, written by Beth M. for Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!




(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

 

. Record Label: Lucid Artist
. Album length: 10 tracks: 36 minutes, 42 seconds
. Street Date: September, 2011
. Buy It: FamilyChristian.com

  1. Highlands
  2. Road To Girona
  3. Autumn
  4. Normandy
  5. Letters
  6. Snow In Paris
  7. Off The Map
  8. Cathedrals
  9. Leaving Florence
  10. Coming Home

 

Leave a Comment


 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
Empowered SALT - EP (independent)
Homesick Prodigals Different Good (independent)
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
abenezer i was lost - Single [Gotee]
Joe L Barnes Good Shepherd (Studio Version) - Single [Provident]
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
Katty Camargo Shine Upon Me - Single (independent)
The CCC Collective Thankful - Single (independent)
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
CXMMXNS Trust and Obey (feat. CAIN) - Single [Provident]
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
Forrest Frank GOD'S GOT MY BACK - Single [River House / 10K]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
Noah Paul Harrison Oh Lord My God (Live) - Single [Bethel]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
TobyMac God Did It (feat. Jamie MacDonald) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Matt Maher Wait (Radio Version) - Single [Provident]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Naomi Raine God Will Work It Out - Single [Tribl]
Rave Jesus Runnin' - Single [Provident]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
Michael W. Smith Your Love Is A Flood - Single [The Fuel]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Regina Vandereijk You're the Light - Single (independent)
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zach Williams Killed A Man - Single [Provident]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Dan Bremnes Human - Single [Curb]
Lauren Daigle Let It Be A Hallelujah - Single [Centricity]
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images