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When considering any epic religious score, you generally have two elements you have to weigh in evaluating whether the music can carry itself apart from the film and, to some degree, appease listeners who find "glorification music" distasteful. First, there is the obvious resonance factor. Does Muhammad: The Messenger of God blow you out of your seat with its tonal depth? At several points, yes. This is, during its action and miracle sequences, a stunningly resounding work. More importantly, does the score utilize its regional specialty instruments and vocals with competence, especially in their mix? On this point, Rahman especially succeeds. Anyone can throw in a solo line here and there for oud, ney, duduk, saz, flutes, percussion, and vocals simply for sonic color, but the spotting and mix of these contributors in Muhammad: The Messenger of God is the prevailing triumph of the whole work. Softer sequences featuring these elements are worthy of high volume appreciation, for the techniques of performance are superior. For instance, the duduk is perhaps underused but beautiful when applied, its performance near the end of "The Land of Friendship" absolutely divinely recorded and mixed over oud. Composing two of the more atmospheric cues and contributing to others is "Le Trio Joubran," a respected group of three Palestinian brothers on ouds. Operatic female vocals are a highlight as well, though Rahman doesn't let the opportunity pass without infusing several cues with full-throated, male-dominated choral magnificence befitting a vintage Zimmer entry. Aside from the ensemble and tonality, you also must consider the emotional tone and thematic development of the score. In the case of the former, you'll realize that Muhammad: The Messenger of God is really the opposite of The Passion of the Christ in that it is both accessible and loving in almost all of its parts. There is not a troubling moment in this score. Even amidst its most striking bombast in "The Sea Miracle," Rahman throws in interludes for female voice that flow with the melodic grace you'd expect in a Broadway love song. This is not an emotionally overbearing score, therefore, and, with the aid of its ethnic colors, it is less likely to turn away listeners because of any outright religious offense. The exception to this observation may be the chords of the "miracle fanfare" motif, which chant away in unrestrained orchestral and vocal majesty at the outset of "The Sea Miracle" and the song, "Ya Muhammad."

Thematically, Rahman explores a wide variety of motifs throughout Muhammad: The Messenger of God, six of which recurring in major form and a number of others seemingly contained to individual applications in the film, the action cues especially meandering through solitary but impressive motifs at will. Two themes in particular stand apart in their placement and frequency. The first sounds like something of a journey identity, introduced with vocal chanting and full ensemble at 0:39 into "Ababeel" and reduced to solo cello at 1:09 into "And He Was Named Muhammad" and 1:42 into "Through the Sands." Its reduction from percussive rhythmic enthusiasm at 1:18 in "The Camel's Divine Intervention" to solo oud is notable. More evenly balanced in the score is the primary religious identity, one that may be mocked as being more appropriate a resident within Zimmer's The Prince of Egypt than here, especially with its relatively simple brass and choral performances. You encounter this theme in restrained form at 1:41 into "And He Was Named Muhammad" (after all, the guy's just a wee tot at this point) before muscular brass and woodwinds develop the idea at 3:23 into "Abraha." This theme's performances continue to gain momentum and size, by 1:12 into "Halima's Healing" the idea morphing into its massive culmination complete with elegantly wailing female voice. Not to be outdone, the theme is offered large choral treatment at 0:36 into "The Last Hajj of Abdul Mutallib." Secondary themes of note include a lovely one of solo female vocals for the mother at 1:02 into "The Birth" (passed nicely to flute and cello) and 1:20 into "A Mother's Advice to Her Son." A preaching theme of sorts is heard later in the score, softly dominating "Protecting the Innocent" and "The Sermon." Three distinct miracle-related motifs exist, and all are summarized in "The Sea Miracle." First is the aforementioned choral pronouncement fanfare (repeating twice in the cue with all the pomp one could muster) that also opens the closing song. Second comes a gorgeous string idea at 0:29 that had been heard from solo female voice at 3:25 into "Protecting the Innocent," transitioning into fragments of the main journeying theme. Later in "The Sea Miracle," Rahman develops a swaying, romantic identity out of the prior religious theme to ensure the cue's total resonance. Finally, you have the underlying rhythm of Rahman's song, "Ya Muhammad," previewed at 2:33 into "Through the Sands" before leading to a more typical Rahman endeavor featuring his own voice in the song.

The vocal layers in the song, "Ya Muhammad," are well executed, and the rhythmic backing is a tasteful balance of traditional lyrical prayer and Rahman's more contemporary stylings (an electric bass helps there), no small feat. Enthusiasts of the composer can enjoy his vocal contributions in two earlier score cues as well. Don't expect to hear an abundance of "typical" Rahman techniques when comparing this score to those in the West; instead, one of the major drawbacks of this work is how often it will remind you of others' music. In essence, it's a feeling of temp-track adherence despite the composer's reportedly laborious process of discovery. At times, some of the references are a little humorous, as in the similarities to Poledouris' The Hunt for Red October at about 4:40 into "Ababeel." There are only so many ways you can convey massive orchestral and choral magnificence of such relative simplicity, however, so you have to approach the four or five action cues with this caveat in mind. The score's most impressive portions are often its less noisy, the balance between percussion, oud, and orchestra late in "Makkah 740 AD," as well as the ney flute and singular vocalizations in "And He was Named Muhammad (SAL)," offering unexpected highlights. The recording is generally fantastic, though there is gain clipping in the choral middle portion of "The Last Hajj of Abdul Mutallib," among other parts. Such problems are not as noticeable outside of headphone appreciation, however. Soloists are nurtured by the mix, expressing their layers with varying reverb (the solo vocals reach the stereotypical descriptor of "haunting" due to this echoing presence) and almost always in front of the underlying ensemble. Some listeners will be overwhelmed or annoyed by the barrage of new ideas in the major action and worship cues, a few incredible highlights never to be heard again in the work. The overtly religious tone will bother some listeners as well. The female vocals were a particularly interesting choice given that most of the vocalizations you associate with Islam involve broadcasted male prayers. Perhaps these "Westernizations" were a contributing factor to the ridiculous fatwa issued against Rahman for this score. He has put his stamp on the genre of religious epic and done so with ambitious zeal, matching Mychael and Jeff Danna in the handling of regional instrumentation as an extension of authenticity over Western expectations. Given the protests and financial failure of the film, a sequel to Muhammad: The Messenger of God is unlikely, sadly potentially orphaning some of Rahman's motifs intended for later development. As a standalone listening experience, though, it's an outstanding worldly journey.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 69:26