Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen Preach The Gospel On Passion Disc

While the faithful have been raving over Mel Gibson's controversial Christian epic The Passion Of The Christ, many secular types have complained that the movie is a bit, well, boring with its extended flogging scenes and Latin dialogue.

Still, fiery religious art can stir deep emotions even within non-believers and while The Passion Of The Christ may not be your particular bag, the album's soundtrack promises to pack some interesting fire and brimstone.

Since Gibson was obsessive about keeping his movie "authentic," there was no contemporary music in the actual film, but Mel has OK-ed a Music Inspired By The Passion Of The Christ CD that looks pretty amazing. While the "inspired by" title is a little inaccurate — seeing as many of these songs are classic recordings and not even all of the artists are still alive — most of the songs reflect the message that Gibson is trying to convey with his darkly religious film.

Rather than going for that that icky "contemporary gospel" pop, the album is comprised of a variety of infamously intense artists, many of who have dabbled with religious themes throughout their careers, such as Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave and Bob Dylan.

The disc will be in stores on April 6, the Tuesday before Easter. Since opening almost two weeks ago, The Passion Of The Christ has made over $200 million at the box office.

Here's a tracklisting for Music Inspired By The Passion Of The Christ:
Holly Williams "How Can You Refuse Him Now"
Leon Russell "Stranger In A Strange Land"
Ricky Skaggs "Are You Afraid To Die"
Jessi Colter & Shooter Jennings "Please Carry Me Home"
Dolores O'Riordan "Ave Maria"
Lee Ryan "Why Me"
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Darker With The Day"
Elvis Presley "Where No One Stands Alone"
The Ghost Who Walks "Harms Way"
Leonard Cohen "By The Rivers Dark"
The Blind Boys Of Alabama "Precious Lord"
Bob Dylan "Not Dark Yet"