Music Review: Prayers of a Ragamuffin by A Ragamuffin Band

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Powerful, honest lyrics

Cons: The hidden track

The Bottom Line:

Mullins' band release

Carries on his legacy

Wish they'd released more

Sadly, This is the Last from the Ragamuffins

The Ragamuffin Band has quite an interesting history. They formed as the touring band for Christian music great Rich Mullins. After his tragic death in a car crash, they were left without a front man. They lead the process of getting Rich's final project (The Jesus Record) recorded in some format. And then they tried to strike out on their own with Prayers of a Ragamuffin. Unfortunately, few people seem to have followed them without their famous front man because this is a great CD.

The CD opens with "Make Me an Instrument." This song includes fragments of prayers from St. Francis of Assisi and St. Patrick's Breastplate. It's a prayer of surrender asking God to use the singer no matter what the circumstance. It opens the CD on an upbeat note, which contrasts nicely with the serious message. The guitars and drums keep things moving and build to a climax that cries out to be used by God.

Many of the songs here express heart felt honesty. In "Nothing You Don't Know," they admit "I pray anyway, though some days I'm not sure you can here me." The entire song really marvels at the wonder of praying to a God who already knows everything. Another guitar based track, this one is mid-tempo. It's such an expression of ultimate faith that I can't help but pray along with it.

My two favorite songs are back to back and make for quite an impact. "Help Thou My Unbelief" is a slow, piano based ballad. The words cry out to God for more faith so the singer doesn't get carried away by the things of the world. As the song progresses, strings and drums come in and add to the intensity of the cry.

Following that one is "My Heart Already Knows," another piano ballad. The song talks about the struggle between the faith of the heart and the doubts of the head. When it prays "Let the child come alive and drive away these ghosts," I am nodding my head in agreement. Both verses here are quiet, but drums, guitar, and strings join for the chorus, which really does add to the passion.

Other songs speak of repentance and the hope of being reunited with friends in Heaven.

But not all the songs are serious. "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" is a fun song that talks about our connections to not only other people but also nature. While guitar and drum are the main instruments, you can hear some banjo and harmonica in there if you listen closely enough.

"Shout" is another fun track. It's a short song and one of the hardest songs on the disc. A pure guitar rocker, it's a praise song that promises to shout praise until "I get it right."

And that's probably why this CD never really caught on. The band had become completely associated with Rich Mullins, who was adult contemporary and pop. When they struck out on their own, they became a light rock band. The difference is subtle, but it probably turned off their ready made fan base. And those who would have embraced them never gave them a chance because of preconceived ideas.

My only complaint with this disc is the hidden track. After several minutes of silence, an electric instrumental piece starts and runs for five minutes. It almost sounds computer generated. I don't care for it, and the fact that it is fairly repetitive makes me like it even less. But that's what the skip button is for, right?

It's a same that the Ragamuffins never found a career on their own. Based on Prayers of a Ragamuffin, I would have found lots of challenge and encouragement from their honest lyrics. If you missed out on this great CD, find a copy today.

CD Length: 53:14

Tracks:

1. Make Me an Instrument

2. Nothing You Don't Know

3. Brother Sun, Sister Moon

4. Faith, Hope, Love

5. Help Thou My Unbelief

6. My Heart Already Knows

7. Bouncing Off the Ceiling

8. God Grant Me Tears

9. Shout

10. We'll be Together Again