Music » Christian Rock Music

One of Christian music's most celebrated artists, Michael W. Smith has thrown a surprise to the music industry with his 14th release, Freedom. After nearly two decades of awards, hit singles, and gold records, Smith set out to compose something that had been stirring within him for a long time: an instrumental album. Freedom's title track mixes the aggressiveness of a drum cadence, the innocence of a pennywhistle and the beauty of a soaring string section into a majestic and energized soundscape. Crested by a sensitive lead piano played by Michael himself, the majority of this disc is lushly endowed with stringed instruments that swoon with reminiscent sensation. These emotive textures also embrace a distinct British Isles influence that becomes danceable at times, and some classical orchestration that adds regality to the disc. The surprises within this endeavor are Smith's misty-eyed revisiting of the classic praise song "Thy Word," and the electronica-influenced "The Call," where Smith makes his only vocal appearance. We've had snapshots of Smith's instrumental gifts on albums past, but Freedom offers a deep long look into an aspect of Michael W. Smith's creativity that has until now been waiting to bloom fully. --Israel Button

Building off the massive success of Worship, Michael W. Smith is back with yet another collection of worship-oriented material. With Worship, Smitty cleverly captured the essence of today's modern worship movement with familiar material. Don't look for such familiarity on the more eclectic Worship Again, yet the passion of praise still radiates strongly from this mostly live release. Smith showcases his masterful composition skills at the very start, merging Rich Mullins's "Step by Step" into his own "Forever We Will Sing." The end result is a dynamic opener that feeds well into the choral magnificence of "You Are the Lord," another one of Smith's own and another reason why he could be considered one of today's finest hymn writers. It's interesting how Smith also includes the Chris Tomlin-penned "The Wonderful Cross," an ethereal-sounding update of an old hymn, as well as the classic-sounding but little known "Ancient Words." The call-and-answer chorus of "I See You" is another highlight, as is the rocking "You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)." Smith's variations on the worship theme never sound stale. --Michael Lyttle

Release Date: 1991-07-16, Audio CD, Hollywood Records

Release Date: 2003-03-25, Audio CD, Hollywood Records

Melanie was the Jewel of the Woodstock Generation. Like her three-decades-down-the-road heir, the woman born Melanie Safka made a quick splash as a radio-friendly singer-songwriter. Something of a male Donovan (what is this, no-surname syndrome?), Melanie took hits (like Jewel, too) for delivering what critics considered hippie-dippy platitudes. (She came to resent her "bliss ninny" image and rebelled against it following her late-'60s, early-'70s heyday.) But, also like Donovan, Melanie's best songs have aged nicely, thanks in large part to her knack for integrating her distinctive rasp into ingratiating hooks and solid folk-rock arrangements. Alternating between melismatic sing-alongs ("Lay Down," here in unedited seven-minute-plus form, her splendid cover of "Ruby Tuesday," "What Have They Done to My Song, Ma?") and precious novelty numbers ("The Nickel Song," "Brand New Key," "Animal Crackers"), Melanie wrote her own little bit of pop history, which is celebrated in this worthy 19-song retrospective. All the hits are here, remastered by art-rock avatar Robert Fripp. --Steven Stolder

Release Date: 2003-08-19, Audio CD, Troubadour Records

Release Date: 2002-06-18, Audio CD, EMI Gospel

Heart in Motion is the 1991 album that broke Amy Grant into the mainstream pop-music charts, yielding five top 20 singles and two No. 1 hits ("Baby Baby" and "Every Heartbeat"). But while the release is filled with upbeat beboppin' singles, it also displays a more serious side and a depth of songwriting ability from Christian music's first lady. The urgent "Ask Me" introduces you to a sexually abused girl who miraculously grips tightly to her faith while struggling through a difficult history, while "I Will Remember You" and "How Can We See That Far" are haunting ballads dripping with echo-laden guitars. Indeed, Grant showcases a wide variety of sounds and flavors on this, her multiplatinum introduction to the secular music world. --Michael Lyttle

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No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: SMITH,MICHAEL W.Title: FIRST DECADE-1983-93Street Release Date: 10/12/1993