The Champion

by Carman

Overview

The Champion was a major commercial success for Carman. The title song, an inflated exercise in dramatic storytelling set to music that re-cast the Passion story as a Rocky-esque boxing match, became an instant classic in evangelical circles. The album received an additional boost from the burgeoning slew of Christian music video television programs, since Carman's dramatic flair and his Tony Danza-gets-religion persona made him a perfect fit for the new medium. But for all its popularity, The Champion is actually a scattered and disjointed effort with very little stylistic or thematic glue to hold it together. The flamboyant "Prepare to Die" follows the same Masterpiece Theater Rocks! approach used for "The Champion," but the other songs couldn't be more disparate in their sound. "Revive Us, Oh Lord" is a standard CCM inspirational power ballad in the vein of Steve Green or Bill Gaither. "It Happened to Me," "Fear Not My Child," and "Love Can" are Wayne Newton-style easy listening tunes that seem directed at either blue-haired retirees or dental chair detainees. "A Little Bit More Conviction" is an aggressive pop/rock song that seems to aim for a much younger demographic. "Abundance of Rain" is a catchy Manhattan Transfer-sounding ditty and "The Destination Is There" sounds like a refugee from the rock opera Chess. Just about all of them are polished and skillful imitations of their various source genres, but the overall effect is unsettlingly fragmented. ~ Evan Cater

Product Details

Release Date:	12/18/2020
Label:	Word / Word Distribution
UPC:	0080688013325
Rank:	29448

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Carman   Primary Artist,Vocals
Terry McMillan   Guest Artist,Percussion
Kim Boyce   Guest Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Lisa Bevell   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Rick Cua   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Paul Smith   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
The Nashville String Machine   Guest Artist,Strings
Keith Thomas   Keyboards
Bonnie Keen   Vocals (Background)
Greg Jennings   Guitar
Jon Goin   Guitar
Mark Hall   Vocals (Background)
Mark Douthit   Saxophone
Marty McCall   Vocals (Background)
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass
Melodie Tunney   Vocals (Background)
Mike Brignardello   Bass
Tom Hemby   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
Brent Lamb   Vocals (Background)
Dan Jones   Choir/Chorus
Mark Hammond   Drums
Lisa Bevill   Vocals (Background)
Patti Morris   Vocals (Background)
Pam Mark Hall   Vocals (Background)
Pete Carlson   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Ronn Huff   Arranger,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Steve Camp   Composer
Keith Thomas   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Kim Boyce   Duet
Lynn Nichols   Producer,Executive Producer
Jeff Coppage   Assistant Engineer
Jeff Balding   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Tom Hemby   Arranger
Carman   Composer
Mark Hammond   Drum Programming
Ken Criblez   Assistant Engineer
Bill Heath   Assistant Engineer
Aaron Rapoport   Photography
Alan Henry   Assistant Engineer
Danny Mundhenk   Assistant Engineer
Bruce Koblish   Arranger,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Patrick Pollei   Design,Logo Design
Joan Tankersley   Design,Art Direction
Brett Perry   Assistant Producer