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When Michael W. Smith made a move for a secular audience, he didn't seem to alienate his core contemporary Christian fan base as much as peer Amy Grant did, and the reason might be that he takes the spoonful-of-sugar tack when spreading his message: He seamlessly creates pop music with messages that sometimes subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly hark back to God. On "Go West Young Man" he could just as easily be referring to Israel as California as he advises to go west when evil tempts you east; on "Old Enough to Know" he urges a young girl to abstain, which is certainly a Christian way of thinking, but it also applies to any teenager in the world; "Rocketown" could be Sodom as well as a seedy part of any town; and his biggest Top 40 hit, "A Place in This World," could refer to simply fitting in or finding God. Much of contemporary Christian music is better pop than most pop, and Smith leads the pack with enviable hooks, production, vocals, and A-list co-writers like Grant, Diane Warren, and Wayne Fitzpatrick. Though it includes some cuts that rely too much on synthesizer-driven production ("Emily," "Friends"), this greatest-hits package is testament to his strengths and his success at spreading the word of God to both Christian and secular audiences.
© Bryan Buss /TiVo
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Mark Hammond, Producer - Amy Grant, Lyricist - Amy Grant, Composer - Beverly Darnall, Composer - Beverly Darnall, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist
(P) 1993 Reunion Records, Inc.
Michael W. Smith, Performer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Co-Producer - Mark Heimermann, Producer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist
(P) 1992 Reunion Records, Inc.
Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Mark Heimermann, Producer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist
(P) 1992 Reunion Records, Inc.
Diane Warren, Composer - Diane Warren, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Mark Heimermann, Producer
(P) 1992 Reunion Records, Inc.
Amy Grant, Lyricist - Amy Grant, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Mark Heimermann, Producer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist
(P) 1992 Reunion Records, Inc.
Ronn Huff, Arranger - Ronn Huff, Conductor - Bill Whittington, Engineer - Bryan Lenox, Co-Producer - Bryan Lenox, Engineer - Bryan Lenox, Programmer - Bill Deaton, Engineer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Programmer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Bret Teagarden, Engineer - Humberto Gatica, Mixing Engineer - Rick Rowe, Recording Engineer - Chris McDonald, Arranger - Brent King, Engineer - Brent King, Recording Engineer - Stephen Marcussen, Mastering Engineer - Nick Palladino, Edited By - Mike Lawler, Programmer - Tommy Sims, Programmer - Amy Grant, Composer - Amy Grant, Lyricist - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Producer - Trace Scarborough, Programmer
(P) 1990 Reunion Records, Inc.
Ronn Huff, Arranger - Ronn Huff, Conductor - Bill Whittington, Engineer - Bryan Lenox, Engineer - Bryan Lenox, Co-Producer - Bryan Lenox, Programmer - Bill Deaton, Engineer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Programmer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Bret Teagarden, Engineer - Humberto Gatica, Mixing Engineer - Rick Rowe, Recording Engineer - Chris McDonald, Arranger - Brent King, Engineer - Brent King, Recording Engineer - Stephen Marcussen, Mastering Engineer - Nick Palladino, Edited By - Mike Lawler, Programmer - Tommy Sims, Programmer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Producer - Trace Scarborough, Programmer
(P) 1990 Reunion Records, Inc.
Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Producer
(P) 1988 Reunion Records, Inc.
Amy Grant, Lyricist - Amy Grant, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Producer
(P) 1988 Reunion Records, Inc.
Ronn Huff, Arranger - Ronn Huff, Conductor - Bill Whittington, Engineer - Bryan Lenox, Co-Producer - Bryan Lenox, Engineer - Bryan Lenox, Programmer - Bill Deaton, Engineer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Programmer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Bret Teagarden, Engineer - Humberto Gatica, Mixing Engineer - Rick Rowe, Recording Engineer - Chris McDonald, Arranger - Brent King, Engineer - Brent King, Recording Engineer - Stephen Marcussen, Mastering Engineer - Nick Palladino, Edited By - Mike Lawler, Programmer - Tommy Sims, Programmer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Producer - Trace Scarborough, Programmer
(P) 1990 Reunion Records
Kimberly Smith, Coordinator - Tokes, Mixing Engineer - Tokes, Recording Engineer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Ted Jensen, Mastering Engineer - John Potoker, Producer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist
(P) 1986 Reunion Records, Inc.
Kimberly Smith, Coordinator - Tokes, Mixing Engineer - Tokes, Recording Engineer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Ted Jensen, Mastering Engineer - John Potoker, Producer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Composer - Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lyricist
(P) 1986 Reunion Records, Inc.
Michael W. Smith, Performer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Mike Hudson, Composer - Mike Hudson, Lyricist
(P) 1984 Reunion Records, Inc.
Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Lyricist - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Mark Heimermann, Producer - Deborah D. Smith, Composer - Deborah D. Smith, Lyricist
(P) 1992 Reunion Records, Inc.
Mike Psanos, Recording Engineer - Hank Williams, Mastering Engineer - Michael W. Smith, Composer - Michael W. Smith, Producer - Michael W. Smith, Performer - Jack Joseph Puig, Mixing Engineer - Deborah D. Smith, Lyricist
(P) 1983 Reunion Records, Inc.
Album review
When Michael W. Smith made a move for a secular audience, he didn't seem to alienate his core contemporary Christian fan base as much as peer Amy Grant did, and the reason might be that he takes the spoonful-of-sugar tack when spreading his message: He seamlessly creates pop music with messages that sometimes subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly hark back to God. On "Go West Young Man" he could just as easily be referring to Israel as California as he advises to go west when evil tempts you east; on "Old Enough to Know" he urges a young girl to abstain, which is certainly a Christian way of thinking, but it also applies to any teenager in the world; "Rocketown" could be Sodom as well as a seedy part of any town; and his biggest Top 40 hit, "A Place in This World," could refer to simply fitting in or finding God. Much of contemporary Christian music is better pop than most pop, and Smith leads the pack with enviable hooks, production, vocals, and A-list co-writers like Grant, Diane Warren, and Wayne Fitzpatrick. Though it includes some cuts that rely too much on synthesizer-driven production ("Emily," "Friends"), this greatest-hits package is testament to his strengths and his success at spreading the word of God to both Christian and secular audiences.
© Bryan Buss /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 15 track(s)
- Total length: 01:07:17
- Main artists: Michael W. Smith
- Composer: Michael W. Smith
- Label: Reunion Records
- Genre: Jazz Gospel
(P) 1993 Provident Label Group, LLC
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