Michael W Smith - Worship
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Michael W SmithEdition: Music CD
Format: Live
Published: 2001-09-11
CD Release Date: 2001-09-11
Music Label: Reunion
Product features:
- Song List: Forever, The Heart of Worship, Draw me Close, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
- Open the Eyes of My Heart, Above All, Breathe, Let it Rain,
- Agnus Dei, Awesome God, More Love, More Power
- Bonus tracks: Purified and Above All
- Forever
- The Heart of Worship
- Draw Me Close
- Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
- Open the Eyes of My Heart
- Above All
- Breathe
- Let It Rain
- Agnus Dei
- Awesome God
- More Love, More Power
- Purified [*]
- Above All [Studio Version][*]
Free Music Notes for Worship
Free Music Review: This recording rocks
Hit: 5 Stars
Really enjoyed this CD.
I had read the pros and cons on reviews before I bought this CD, so I listened with both some trepidation and interest.
I was expecting a recording a little less in the "rock" mode than most of the other recordings and anticipated the presence of applause on the tracks supposedly interfering with the enjoyment of the music.
First, the first cut "Forever" grabbed me as more as a rock "wake me up" tune than one meant to awaken my heart. When the piece finished, loud applause could be heard. Then the second cut, "The Heart of Worship" seemed to slow things down a bit, but the song didn't grab me as much as I wanted it to. The sound of loud applause followed. I thought, "I hope the rest of the CD is better."
The third cut, "Draw Me Close," turned things around for me, as the music from this point on drew me in to the "praise and worship" theme of the concert and CD. (Interestingly, on several playbacks, I enjoyed the first two cuts alot more - the energy of the opening of the first song along with its musical style reminded me of the same kind of music used in "Live/A Night with Joel Osteen" events - very inspirational, getting the heart racing, and pumping people up for the rest to follow.)
What I also realized, was that the presence of the applause created a sense of participating with the spirit of being at the event. I was also very appreciative of the way each track flowed into the next - no gaps of silence between them - the applause between each song wasn't that long, and the subsequent song was begun in a reasonable amount of time to keep the momentum going. And each song seemed appropriately placed to keep the energy at the right place.
"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" was performed in an instrumental form - very beautifully done - and midway through, some people applauded, and then Michael Smith encouraged people to sing, and those voices added to the heartfeltness of that beautiful melody, which is finished in an instrumental manner, just as it began.
Michael Smith interrupted his performance of music with a little anecdote of how he liked to sing in the car. He then began singing the song he referred to, which turned out to be "Open the Eyes of My Heart."
My main reason for buying this CD was to get on disc "Above All," performed live. I had heard and seen him perform this song live at a rerun taping of a Billy Graham Crusade event and at a White House performance for ex-pres. G. W. Bush. I desired a performance like that.
I was not disappointed. The performance of that song on this CD is exquisite and very very moving. The performance consists of MS doing some of the song on solo piano, followed by other instruments used in a very tasteful and heartfelt manner (very different style from that of the studio version, which seemed crafted more for a radio "package" for airplay for casual listeners).
The background voices of the chorus are EXCELLENT, as is the musical performance and "charting" of the music.
An example of the excellent "charting" is the use of the acoustic guitar in "Awesome God." At the beginning of the song, it seems like only a few instruments will be used, to be followed later by the anticipated electric guitar, heavy percussion, etc. Instead, the sounds of the acoustic guitar are introduced, in the foreground of the music (to which you can hear the audience applause in appreciation of the heartfelt use of that instrument at that point). Shortly later, the electric guitar takes over, very appropriately to the energy to the music.
I had expected, based on some previous reviews, to be bored with the repetitive lyrics to "Let it Rain." Instead, I found myself moved by the melody and way in which lyrics were used in a minimal way to allow for the heart to take over in an outpouring of feeling. The way in which the lyrics and melody were used reminded me of the way in which "chanting" is done in other spiritual traditions (kirtan in the Hindu tradition) to deepen the heart's longing and feeling for God by repeating a phrase coupled with a very heartfelt repetitive melody.
So, "Let it Rain," functions in a different way than the other songs.
I didn't realize that "Awesome God," finished=s the concert, so the 50 seconds (yes, 50, I timed it!!) of applause was very disconcerting. Mercefully, after 50 seconds (and not a second sooner), "More Love, More Power" is performed, a much quieter song, quite beautiful, after which, there is no applause. The lack of applause seemed odd to me at first, but it signals the end of the recording of the worship portion of the recording. And if this recording was done live, in real time, the 50 seconds of applause was appropriate to demarcate the fact that the worship performance concert was finished and that MS wanted to allow the audience to express its gratitude in a longer period of applause.
The final two cuts are studio versions of the song "Purified," instrumentation of which is done in a techno-pop manner, supporting a song with a strong melody line and meaningful lyrics. The studio version of "Above All" surprised me by the manner in which instruments were used. It is still a very good song, but nowhere close to the live performance versions, which for me are the real thing. After listening to the studio version, I thought, "why did Michael Smith not record this song to begin with like the way he does it in live performances?" Maybe for some people, the "packaging" of the song in a studio version is more acceptable for casual listening. This is a song that calls for deeper not casual listening.
The booklet enclosed was EXCELLENT - it contained pictures of the musicians who performed at the worship concert and all lyrics.
When I first began to listen to this CD, I thought how much better it would be to hear these songs without all the applause, and to have them recorded in a studio so I could enjoy them in a more private way. But after listening to the music on the CD for ten minutes or so, I got into the worshiper's enthusiasm, the musical excellence of the voices and instrumentation, and really appreciated that I was hearing a live recording. It was hard to tell if there was much editing done between songs, since each song seems to flow into the next without any editing of the volume of the applause between songs.
If you have a great sound system and equalizer, you will love the sound engineering on this recording. The right instruments are highlighted at the right time, and the "charting" of the music, as I mentioned before is EXCELLENT. I listened to this recording through the speakers of a decent boombox (via a separate tape deck player), and the drum is very powerful.
This was my first such "Praise and Worship" CD I have ever bought, and I enjoyed it very much. Like other people, there were several songs that gave me goose bumps, moved me to tears, and deepened the presence of those feelings that remind us of the presence of God.
I have CDs of devotional music from other spiritual paths, which are of a more mellow nature. This recording at times is mellow, but as a whole can be summed up, as I stated in my review title, rocks!
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