It's a Wonderful Christmas
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Free Music Notes for It's a Wonderful Christmas
Free Music Review: It will be a wonderful Christmas
Hit: 4 Stars
Incredibly moving music that will reach the hearts of all of us. The blend of Michael's voice, the fullness of the orchestra, and the choirs all blend into a true masterpiece. It's a privilege to have followed Michael since he began to entertain us with his gift of music in piano and voice, and this new CD continues to show his growth as a musician. This CD can be used as relaxing background music this season with friends, as a worshipful experience alone, or in any romantic setting.Free Music Review: Michael W Smith is always awesome but this wasn't my favorite.
Hit: 4 Stars
I loved his Christmas album last year and I love his albums but this one was just a little slow. I would have like to hear a whole lot more of his voice. He only sings on a few tracks. Maybe if I had known that from the getgo, I wouldn't have been so dissappointed. The girls love to dance to it though and we rotate it with our other CDs.Free Music Review: Michael Does It Again!
Hit: 4 Stars
Michael W Smith is one of my all time favorite artists and is the one who got me interested in Christian music back in the late 80's. He's given us another masterpiece here in this latest offering. Like his first Christmas album, this one is best experienced as a collection rather than piecemeal. Nonetheless it is highly recommended.Free Music Review: Michael W. being Michael W.
Hit: 3 Stars
Michael W. Smith fans enjoy this c.d. full of their favorite hero's best stuff. For some 25 years or so, he has been composing a grand style of orchestral flourishes that I think I would have imagined composing myself when I was say 8 or 9 years old -- if I had known anything about music, that is. I think Michael W. has a glorious musical gift that needs a couple things:
1) He should not sing his own music. It requires a larger voice.
2) He needs to find a more solid definitive expression for the sounds he is being moved to put to music. Somehow, there is something better that is not quite getting all the way formed.
There is no doubt that he knows from where his inspiration comes. I would encourage him to spend some time letting the Spirit-to-spirit connection grow stonger and then letting himself be led through different musical expressions to find better ways to reveal it. He might start with other voices and with smaller assemblages of instruments, finding something that is true before drowning it with large orchestrations.
That said, it is still true that folks that have liked Michael W. Smith recordings before will play this one over and over and over. My bride opened it Christmas morning and has been playing it ever since. That must be what "happily ever after" means.
Free Music Review: A Bad Movie Soundtrack - Not Destined To Be A Classic
Hit: 1 Stars
Smith's first two Christmas CD's were decent but spotty. his takes on classics were dull remakes that we can can hear from dozens of other contemporary artists (Christian or not).
Both of his first two Christmas CDs however, featured some stellar material (sing we now of christmas, christmastime, all is well, emmanuel) that will stand as classics.
I cannot say the same for "It's A Wonderful Christmas."
After searching for a word to describe this effort, all I can come up with is "forced."
Seems like every tune has the formulaic strings build-up, moving into a "perfect" catchy piano, followed by the large chorale trying to sound angelic.
It's A Wonderful Christmas sounds like a bad movie soundtrack.
Writing potentially 'classic' new Christmas material must be very difficult. Not much comes around.
Smith has occasionally accomplished this task in previous works.
He missed big-time in this effort. It's A Wonderful Christmas is formulaic at best -- it will NOT stand the test of time.