Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Label: Sonlite Records
Producers: Jeff Collins & Mark Bishop
Website: www.thefieldsoflove.com

Song Titles: “Falling Star,” “Fields Of Love,” “Big Big World,” “The Tent Revival,” “Poor Goliath,” “Every Memory,” “What’s So Bad About Believing?,” “The Prayer,” “He Never Sleeps,” “Take Another Step,” “Tell Me What You See,” “Blue Skies,” and “Love And Faith”

In depth descriptions have already been provided by other writers on this “Christian Disney” story-in-songs CD by Mark Bishop. I’ll try to avoid re-plowing some of the same ground by refering you to other bloggers for the synopsis.  Go HERE for Doug Harrison’s extensive dissection or if pressed for time, HERE for Daniel Mount’s comparably succinct take. If you have lots of time, read both and then click on the website link above for more details. (Feel free to come back here and read the rest of this review, of course!)

Bishop and his co-writers…producer Jeff Collins and super musician/singer/songwriter David Johnson…are timid with the overall tale, choosing to let it unfold more or less as a listener would expect. Keep in mind that in one of his previous story songs, it only took a few minutes for Mark Bishop to kill an entire family, reunite them in Heaven, and make a fine scriptural point. “I Got Here As Fast As I Could” is still one of Bishop’s most memorable songs. Why? Because it spins a tale of death and eternal life in a way you didn’t expect.  

With more than forty minutes to explore the life of an unbelieving man in the aftermath of his wife’s death with a believing son’s faith for an example, I expected a few more twists in the story line. Sure, “The Tent Revival” segues into “Poor Goliath” for a “live” moment, but it’s just a backdrop to the main story. (It’s a fun diversion and the highlight of the CD.)

Known for vivid imagery in his lyrics, Bishop is oddly stingy with details at times. For example, there’s a song with a lyrical hook, ”Every memory ain’t necessarily precious.” Taken at face value, it appears he’s saying every memory of the farmer’s wife wasn’t precious, but what he must mean is the sweet memories of his wife make him sad. It isn’t entirely clear. No particularly un-precious memories are cited. We’re left to assume she was always a good example of a saint while she lived on earth, despite the more dogmatic interpretation of the hook line.

To a customer picking this product up in a store, it appears to be a regular solo CD of songs. Bishop puts himself into multiple roles, so the customer shouldn’t feel cheated. He plays the part of the farmer at times, both in spoken dialogue as well as sung lyrics. At other times, he sings as the narrator referring to the characters in third person. At other times, Debra Talley is the narrator, while remaining in character as the farmer’s deceased wife speaking from Heaven. I would have preferred another approach, though…adding another voice to distinguish the singer/narrator from the farmer character. This would have required that Fields Of Love be marketed as a full cast affair, but the concept would have been strengthened considerably. 

The impact of the farmer’s conversion is diminished in favor of a poetic parallel…time jumps ahead to the son taking “another step” where his dad once walked the aisle. Before the song is finished, time jumps again, and steps are again taken down aisle for another poetic parallel. This section feels rushed. The hook of the song takes precedence over the story’s pace up to this point. That being said, the two closing numbers that follow are very nice.

Daniel Mount mentioned there being some speculation over whether any of the songs could be successful on radio without the context of the story. “Blue Skies” would probably work with the long a cappella intro and spoken parts edited out…might want to repeat the choral bridge. I’d definitely leave in the cheer. The title track could also be adapted into a radio single with only a few adjustments…don’t want to end it with the mother dying, of course. The line from “Love And Faith” at the end of the CD could be swapped in for the end of the radio single instead. I doubt most of the listeners who bought the CD after hearing it on the radio would notice.

This CD is different enough that there’s an entire website set up just for this one title. The site features several sections, including all the lyrics, details about the cast, and of course, a link to the “general store.” Another unique element of The Fields Of Love is the CD booklet. The space normally used for lyrics instead features a six-page, eight “chapter” story. It’s written from the perspective of the farmer’s son featuring memories of his childhood and what it’s like to live on a farm. The same text is also included on the website.

The energy that went into creating this project is admirable. I applaud Bishop, his co-writers and producers for having the vision to attempt something beyond the boundaries of a typical Mark Bishop solo CD. The concept is great as well. Daniel Mount compared it to Roar Of Love by Second Chapter Of Acts, and I would agree to a certain extent. The extent being that Second Chapter Of Acts used one of the most popular children’s books of all time for inspiration while Bishop’s material is drawn from a formulaic well closer akin to the novels of Grace Livingston Hill. Let me be quick to say, there’s nothing wrong with that. Hill’s book sales are still huge. I just happen to prefer the type of creativity Lewis poured into his books…even when writing for children…over predictable fare.