Mark Mitchell Schultz was born on September 16, 1970. He was adopted when he was two weeks old. He released three CCM albums from 2000 to 2003. He became known for songs such as 'He's My Son', 'I Have Been There', and 'Letters From War'. In 2006 he put out BROKEN & BEAUTIFUL. It was nominated for a Dove Award for 'Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year'.
'40 Days' is a fast paced adult contemporary song that speaks of being in a spiritual wilderness: "And it's like 40 days out in the desert/Feeling like I'm lost forever/And crying out for You/But in these 40 days I'm going to seek You/With my heart because I believe You have brought me to this place/These 40 days". Mark and Matthew West co-wrote the wonderful title track 'Broken & Beautiful'. It speaks of spiritual transformation: "We all fall short/We all have sinned/But when you let God's grace break in/It's beautiful, beautiful/Come as you are/Surrender your heart/Broken and beautiful". 'Walking Her Home' is one of six songs Mark wrote alone. It's a terrific adult contemporary story song: "A nursing home/At eighty-five/And the doctor said it could be her last night/And the nurse said oh, should we tell him now/Or should he wait until the morning to find out?/When they checked her room that night/He was laying by her side/Oh, he was walking her home and holding her hand/Oh, the way she smiled when he said this is not the end/And just for a while they were eighteen". Johnathan Yudkin plays violin, viola, cello, and bass.
'Until I See You Again' includes backing vocals by Perry Coleman and Lisa Cochran. It's a bouncy pop song that has God speaking to us: "Live with the wonder of a child/Pray with your arms thrown open wide/Love with a love that has no end/Until I see you again". '1,000 Miles' is a beautiful ballad of spiritual dedication: "If I write 10,000 songs/10,000 songs it's true/If I write 10,000 songs/I'll sing them all for You.../And if I live 100 years/Before my life is through/And if I live 100 years/I'll spend them loving You".
Mark co-wrote 'Lord You Are' with Shaun Shankel. It's a modern worship song: "And I sing to You/You are the song within me/And I long for You/Lord, You are/The Living One, the Holy Lamb/The Son of God, the Son of Man/Who always is, who always was/Who's always gonna be". Mark wrote 'Everything to Me' with Cindy Morgan. It's a lovely adult contemporary song about adoption: "You gave life to me/A brand new world to see/Like playing baseball in the yard with Dad at night/Mom reading 'Goodnight Moon'/And praying in my room/So if you worry if your choice was right/You gave me up but you gave everything to me".
Mark and Ian Eskelin wrote 'God of Life'. Joy Williams sings background vocals on this song that could be congregational: "God of life, oh, Lord of truth/Oh, let me live to worship You/So all may hear and all may know/That You are God, the God of hope/Yeah, let this life down here on earth/Echo in return". Matt Rollings plays piano on 'Now That You've Come Into My Life', an energetic pop song: "Now that You've come in/Now that You've come into my life/All that was broken is like the way it was meant to be/Like a feeling/I've been set free/In the end (2X)".
Next is 'She Was Watching'. It's a moving ballad about how we pass our faith on to our kids: "Faith can't be taught/It's just something that is caught along the way/No faith is never taught/It's just something that they catch from watching you along the way". Last up is the Ballad Version of 'Until I See You Again'. It makes use of mandolin, violin, viola, cello, arco bass, and piano.
If you're a fan of Michael W. Smith and/or Bob Carlisle, I recommend BROKEN & BEAUTIFUL to you. Adult contemporary, pop, and praise and worship are the three main musical genres here. God's greatness, faithfulness, and restoring power are celebrated. We are invited to give ourselves completely over to God, who is truly good. Mark does a great job as well presenting songs that have to do with human relationships. Romance that lasts, adoption, and good parenting are applauded here. People who are young adults and older should appreciate this album which I'm rating 87%. For more info visit www.markschultzmusic.com or connect with him on social media.