How does one even begin to ‘review’ one of Christian music’s greatest songwriters? Well, let’s get the statistical stuff out first—this is Mark’s first solo effort after being involved in a high school band called Infinity Plus Three. Issued on a small custom label, this is actually the same album later released with the title On Turning to Dust. The original Airborn issue is extremely rare and features an entirely different cover, a drawing of a butterfly. It comes with a large folded lyric insert and is described on the back as a ‘collection of attitudes concerned with life in the framework of Biblical Christianity.’ And so begins the journey of Christian music’s most poetic and insightful artist—and a legacy that would span ten plus albums (not counting a couple of greatest hits releases). The music here falls into the simple acoustic category, similar to Appalachian Melody. Mark plays guitars, piano, synthesizer, and hambone(?) and succeeds in capturing a calm, tranquil mood, with some knee-slappin’ hillbilly thrown in for good measure. A couple songs get a string quartet accompaniment and there are some brief synthesizer hymn interpretations. Lyrically very simple and straightforward. Later albums would mature both lyrically and in instrumental depth, but for peaceful inspiration this one’s impossible not to like.”—Ken Scott at One-Way.org

Solid Rock
On Turning to Dust
Cabin in Gloryland

Mark Heard  ~  Lyrics / Credits / DISCOGRAPHY