Like the film itself, the soundtrack to
Robert Duvall's
The Apostle is a carefully crafted, subtly brilliant collection of contemporary country and gospel. Only three songs were actually used in the film, but all three --
Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Not Go Quietly,"
Patty Loveless' "Two Coats,"
Lyle Lovett's "I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord" -- are excellent, fitting the theme of the film itself. More impressively, the remainder of the songs aren't simply commercial shills -- they offer an excellent overview of gospel, particularly country gospel, music. Traditional gospel tunes like "Softly and Tenderly" and "There Is Power in the Blood" are performed by contemporary acts like
Rebecca Lynn Howard and
Lari White, respectively, and there are great contributions from
Johnny Cash,
Russ Taff,
Bill Gaither, and
the Carter Family, among others. The result is a spellbinding album and one of the rare soundtracks that stands on its own merits. ~ Thom Owens