'Passion' Soundtrack Certified Gold

<br>MOBILE, Ala. (AP) _ The soundtrack to Mel Gibson's ``The Passion of the Christ'' has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, according to Integrity Media Inc.

Wednesday, April 14th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) _ The soundtrack to Mel Gibson's ``The Passion of the Christ'' has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, according to Integrity Media Inc.

The album sold 500,000 copies in February, the Mobile-based company that publishes and distributes Christian products, said Monday. The CD was released by Integrity Music to the Christian market and by Sony Music to the general market.

The company also said Nielsen SoundScan reported that through the week ending April 4, the soundtrack had been the best-selling Christian music album for six consecutive weeks on Billboard's contemporary Christian chart.

``The success of this CD clearly illustrates the power and appeal of music, by allowing so many moviegoers to extend their experience of `The Passion of the Christ' through the purchase of the soundtrack,'' Integrity Music President Jerry Weimer said in a statement.

The film score was composed by John Debney. The soundtrack features vocals and chants provided by Shannon Kingsbury, the Transylvania State Philharmonic Choir, The London Voices and Gibson, who co-produced the soundtrack with Debney.