Mark Lowry Goes To Hollywood (DVD)
Mark Lowry/Various
Mark Lowry Goes To Hollywood relies on an array of guests to fill up 100 minutes. It's puzzling why they went to the expense of making this in Hollywood, though. Lowry's On Broadway video made a big deal out of the fact that they were in New York City with routines, songs, and on-location footage, but this new Hollywood project relies on the packaging and one referential song ("Ha Ha Hollywood"). Other than that, the locale for the event may as well have been Fargo, North Dakota. After the opening song and a standard "How many <insert denomination here> do we have?" comedy segment, the Isaacs , Stan Whitmire , and LordSong are featured performing "Friend 'Til The End," "Celebrate Jesus," and "Lord Of The Dance" respectively. Lowry then joins LordSong for "Some Things Never Change." The bulk of the comedy content comes over the next 20 minutes, with a few non-humorous songs thrown in. First Lowry talks about watching himself age on the Gaither videos and shares a few more age related jokes. Then it's back to Whitmire for some stunning stride piano work on "I've Got That Old Time Religion." Lowry sings a novelty song about David and Goliath called "Too Big To Miss" next, and then LordSong joins him for "The Star Spangled Banner" after Lowry starts off singing the baritone part alone. After that, Lowry tells a funny story about surviving a tornado while in his house boat. ("I heard a freight train coming up the lake.") "Home Where I Belong" sets a more serious tone for the remaining hour of footage. Bill Gaither, Michael Lord , and Whitmire sing "I Want To Go To Heaven" with Lowry, then Michael English and Reggie Smith join Lowry and Gaither for "I'll Trade The Old Cross For A Crown." The songs that come next on the video feature various configurations of the guest singers plus a "reMarkable Choir" that joins them for a few songs. Those song titles include "I Bowed On My Knees," "I Call Him Lord," "Peace Like A River," "Make It Real," "Jesus Loves Me," "Shout To The Lord," and "Wandering Heart." There's also a concluding message from Lowry that is sprinkled with comedy, focusing on God's grace at the end. The song "Isn't It Amazing" concludes the video as all of Lowry's guest singers take the stage with him and the choir, extending the same message of God's grace through the lyrics of the song. If you're expecting another thematic/comedic tour de force like On Broadway , you will probably react to Mark Lowry Goes To Hollywood like my sister did. She said she was disappointed not to find more fresh comedy material, and she would have preferred fewer guest singers. On the other hand, if you're already a big fan of these guests, you should be well pleased. Lowry is extremely generous with his alloted stage time on this project and the production quality is top notch. Also, I should mention that if you choose to buy the DVD, you'll get several bonus features. There's a clip of Michael English singing like Vestal Goodman , an extra song featuring the full cast including the "reMarkable Choir" (with a solo by Karen Harding ), and footage from the rehearsal where a number of people share their thoughts about the size of Lowry's head. by David Bruce Murray
Rating: 4 STARS