Christian music news: The Real Dubya

Latest christian music: Best-selling recording artist Michael W. Smith hasn't recorded a pop album in five years—but he's hardly been idle or absent. Instead, he's been busy with other worthwhile projects since 1999's This Is Your Time. In 2000, he recorded an instrumental album, Freedom. In 2001, he released the live Worship CD, which went platinum and prompted the 2002 sequel Worship Again. Then came The Second Decade in 2003, celebrating his 20th anniversary as a Christian recording artist. So now at long last we come to Healing Rain, Smith's 18th album, and fans are curious what to expect. We jumped at the chance to visit Smitty's farmhouse getaway to talk about the new music, the people he's been working with, and his longtime friendship with President George W. Bush.

So you're back to pop/rock.

Michael W. Smith Well, it's been a long time coming. I actually started on this record not long after This Is Your Time. I wrote probably 50 or 60 songs for the record, and actually recorded 31 of them. Sometimes you have to keep troubleshooting, and since the record kept getting delayed, I thought I should keep trying to write better songs. There are three on this record that were written three years ago. I think a good song is a good song, and hopefully these will stand up to the test of time.

This was probably the most enjoyable, though hard, time I've had making a record. Maybe it's from not doing it in a while, but I really enjoy being in the studio. It's the producing side of things, getting creative and seeing the album come alive. And during the process, thinking to myself, "Wow, I can still do this!" It's been exciting to dive back into the studio and try new things.

Such as?

Smith Well, for one thing, I didn't think I would produce the record, but I ended up producing 6 of the 11 songs. I'm getting older and I don't think I have my ear to the ground like some of these younger kids do, but I found out that I can still produce.

There are certain things I think I do well, and there are certain things I don't think I do well. There are a few, kind of hip sounding tracks on the album—those are the ones I didn't do! Matt Bronleewe produced four others, and the other one was produced by Sam Ashworth, Charlie Peacock's son.

What about songwriting? You typically match your music with a variety of lyricists.

Smith I got back together with one of my favorite collaborators, Wayne Kirkpatrick, for three songs. I also worked with Wes King for "Eagles Fly," and another with Dan Hill called "Human Spark" that we wrote right after 9/11.

The big surprise for me was making a trek across the Atlantic and writing a few songs with Martin Smith, lead singer of Delirious, who's written so many great songs for the church. We had a blast. I've found a new co-writer. It was such a joy because I would play some musical ideas, and then he would giggle and start to write. Suddenly 30 minutes later, we'd have a song. I love writing with people like that. Wayne Kirkpatrick takes a month to write a lyric, which is okay because it usually ends up pretty amazing.

You recorded some songs at George Lucas' Skywalker Studios in California. Why?

Smith We mostly just wanted to leave town. Recording here in Nashville is great, but it's also detrimental in the sense that we've got cell phones and daily demands that keep us from focusing on creating.

So we looked for a cool place to record, and someone told me about Skywalker Studios. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and of George Lucas' work. We called him, checked into it, and found there was time available to record there for a week. It was absolutely gorgeous and unbelievable. The recording space was this huge and spacious room like Abbey Road. A couple of the tracks from "the Skywalker Sessions" made it onto this record—"Human Spark" and "We Can't Wait Any Longer."

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Christian music news: Smitty Takes a Stand

Latest christian music: Nineteen albums into his career and less than a year from his 50th birthday, Michael W. Smith continues mixing up his creative palette. On the brand new Stand, the famed singer/songwriter leader merges contemporary pop, praise and a newly developed organic feel—courtesy of producer Matt Bronleewe and co-writer Leeland Mooring, the 18-year-old front man for Leeland, who contributes to seven tunes. Though the messages vary throughout eleven songs, Smitty makes a bold call to the church to not only stand up for its beliefs while reaching out to the world, but also being confident of God's love for his people, despite the Devil's distractions. We talked to Smith about Stand and its concepts, how the church can take a stand, and his take on the current state of Christian music.

How were you able to make the record so quickly, especially after the Healing Rain tour, your family and church duties, plus releasing the movie The Second Chance?

Smith The biggest thing was that The Second Chance was supposed to come out in the fall of '05 and was bumped to February '06, which is when I was supposed to focus on nothing but the new Smitty record. But from January through June, I was traveling around the country promoting the movie, so that was the biggest thing that put me behind—and then trying to find some time to get creative and back into the saddle.

I thought there was no way to get the record done in time for a fall release. The only way to pull it off was to take some risks. I turned over all production responsibilities to somebody else, and felt the need to co-write. I wrote with a 17-year-old kid [at the time] named Leeland [Mooring] and Matt Bronleewe produced the whole record. We cut it in 45 days, and I really like what happened.

Tell me about the more organic direction.

Smith There's no veneer and I think it's very authentic. There's not a synth on the record and it's very transparent and very personal. I think you hear that, especially when you hear me singing and there's not a whole lot of reverb. Although I didn't plan it, the record at least feels like more than just a bunch of songs. It feels like an experience, especially through that middle part that starts with a song I wrote for my daughter called "How to Say Goodbye" through "The Stand" and "Come See." It all feels like I could've done that in church and it would've worked straight through.

How did you discover Leeland and invite him to contribute as a writer?

Smith I heard about the band Leeland through my management and they were having a showcase at The W in Franklin. I caught probably the last three songs of their set and was blown away, not only by the music and songs, but what I saw on stage—the authenticity and heart, especially of Leeland, this kid who didn't even want to become rock star. It was just an anointing—and I don't say that often—and I knew there something extremely special about this kid.

I met him afterwards, got a seven-song CD the next day, and two days later I said, "I've got a wild idea: What if we brought in Leeland to co-write for three or four days?" So I called him up, and he came to town and started writing away. Since then we've become very good friends, and all my kids have fallen in love with him and the whole band.

I had some ideas, Matt had ideas and Leeland came with tons of ideas and we couldn't hit "record" fast enough! In the studio, I was on a little Wurlitzer piano, Matt was on guitar and Leeland on guitar. We just jammed and got excited. Across three days, we had ten ideas that were down and we ended up taking a bunch of them that made it on the album.

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Christian music news: MICHAEL W. SMITH BIOGRAPHY

Latest christian music: BORN: Kenova, WV

Christian recording star and Yamaha artist Michael W. Smith was the top honoree at the 30th Annual Dove Awards on March 24, carrying away six awards to bring his lifetime total to 22. The Dove Awards, presented by the Gospel Music Association, is the longest-running and most prestigious awards show in the gospel music industry.

Smith was named Artist of the Year and Producer of the Year; received two honors, one as an artist and one as a producer, for his current hit album "Live the Life"; and garnered separate artist and producer nods for his participation in "Exodus," a special-event album. For his performance at the awards ceremony, Smith used his Yamaha CPX15W Compass Series electric-acoustic guitar. On tour and for studio applications, the multi-instrumentalist uses an arsenal of Yamaha musical instruments, including the EX5 synthesizer, P200 digital piano and Disklavier® DGT7 piano.

"Yamaha has always made my favorite pianos," Smith said. "They now make guitars I love. The new Yamaha guitars feel great, sound amazing and offer some unique finishes that make a statement before you play a note."

"We congratulate Michael W. Smith not only for his outstanding achievement at the Dove Awards, but for his ongoing track record of great music with a positive message," said David Bergstrom, director of marketing, Combo Group, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Michael's long association with Yamaha is extremely important to us, and we are pleased that he has chosen Yamaha as both his guitar line and his keyboard line."

In 1998, Smith produced "Live the Life" and "Exodus," joined Amy Grant on her 21-city Christmas tour and visited 45 cities on his own "Live the Life" tour. He was a featured performer during the 1998 Miss America Pageant, and four songs from "Live the Life" --the title track, "Love Me Good," "Never Been Unloved" and "Missing Person" --all reached number one on Christian radio charts. With 5 gold records, 1 platinum record, 22 Dove Awards, 2 Grammy® Awards and more than 7 million sales to his credit, the talented artist is currently in the studio working on his 13th album.

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Christian music news: Michael W Smith releases third worship album

Latest christian music: Michael W Smith released his 21st career album, A New Hallelujah, this week.
The live album has already received acclaim from media and fans alike, and the album's first single, "A New Hallelujah" is currently in Top 15 at AC on the CRW chart and No 17 on R & R's Christian AC Monitored chart and just surpassed the 60 million cumulative impressions mark in only 11 weeks.
In addition, Smith's co-bill tour with Steven Curtis Chapman "The United Tour" has sold out in more than 75 percent of the markets it's visited since its launch on October 9 in Columbus, Ohio.
Bob Thornton, Promotions Director at the award winning KXOJ in Tulsa, Oklahoma. shares, "Hallelujah! I watched a sold out crowd sing along every word of 'A New Hallelujah' and enjoy every moment of the United Tour. This was not the end of the book for these two great artists but the beginning of a great new chapter."
In addition to the impact on the road and airwaves, Michael has seen incredible feedback on his short-form music video to "A New Hallelujah" which originally debuted on the Yahoo Music Channel's Home-Page and Gospel Music Channel.
A New Hallelujah, Michael W Smith's newest record, and third worship album, was recorded live this June before 12,000 people in Houston, Texas. The record features The African Children's Choir, a 250-voice choir, and a special guest appearance by 2008 Grammy Award-winner, Israel Houghton.
Smith's first worship album, simply titled Worship, released on September 11, 2001, and has sold more than a million-and-a half copies. It's follow up Worship Again released September 19, 2002, and is nearing the 800,000 mark.
Smith was recently honoured by friends including Amy Grant, Jordin Sparks, Ricky Skaggs, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, Wynonna, Franklin Graham, Max Lucado and others at a tribute event at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center earlier this month.

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Christian music news: MICHAEL W. SMITH AND STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN CAP HISTORIC UNITED TOUR WITH MULTIPLE SELL-OUTS

Latest christian music: (NASHVILLE, TN) May 4, 2009 – GRAMMY® award-winning and multi-platinum selling artists Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith wrapped up their highly successful United Tour last week, finishing a string of 44 shows with sell-out performances at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and in Chapman’s hometown of Paducah, Kentucky. That capped off multiple sell-outs on a historic tour that began last fall and continued into the spring, pairing the two iconic artists for the first time in their lengthy careers in front of a cumulative audience of more than 100,000 people.

Both artists performed music from their current albums – Chapman’s This Moment and Smith’s award winning A New Hallelujah, and A New Hallelujah – The Live Worship DVD – while also collaborating together on songs from each of their expansive catalogs. Those collaborative moments on stage became crowd-pleasers each night, giving fans an opportunity to catch shared glimpses of humor and inspiration between the two long-time friends. Concert reviewers caught on quickly to the special moments:

“From the honesty and transparency of discussing his daughter's death to the energy and passion of their greatest songs to the warmth and joy in a loyal audience, Steven Curtis Chapman's pairing with Michael W. Smith on their current tour is a night of inspiration, unity and family…. If your Christian faith is important to you, this is a night that's as worshipful as it is wonderful and it's certainly for you.” (Belief.net)

“Hopefully this won't be the last time Smith and Chapman share the stage on tour together... and hopefully more artists will take cues from these guys on how to make a tour of talent a special night for fans to remember and cherish.” (JesusFreakHideout.com)

“When you get a ticket to a concert featuring Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman, there are moments you hope for… These were moments that remind you iconic artists are fully capable of appreciating other iconic artists’ work.” (Rich Copley, Lexington Herald-Leader)

Creative Artist Agency’s John Huie notes, “The United Tour exceeded all our expectations. The way these two iconic statesmen of Christian music intertwined their sets and enjoyed singing each other’s songs is part of the creative process that is missing from a lot of live shows! Three cheers for Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith for their history of great work and their humble ability to share it together! For those who were able to see it, this show was truly a night no one will forget!”

“Sharing the stage with Steven, both in the fall and again in the spring, was a privilege for me,” Smith says. “His consistency over the years as a great artist and a great man of faith was evident every single night of the tour. I feel like the timing of this tour, the timing for Steven and I to share the stage together, was God’s timing – and it was worth the wait. I’m so grateful to everyone who came out for the experience. Steven and I will never forget it.”

“The United Tour has been an incredible experience, and how amazing to get to tour with Michael,” Chapman adds. “He was an incredible friend and brother in walking through this time with our family. It’s been a profound opportunity to see friends around the country who have ached and prayed for us and thank them in person. And it’s been important and meaningful for me to declare these truths in my songs again. I think all of us that were part of ‘United’ have learned again at a deeper level the truth of what we’ve been writing and singing all these years... that God is faithful, even when life is hard, and that the Gospel is true and God is worthy of our praise. My sincere thanks to all who worked on stage and off stage, and to all who came to join us on The United Tour.”

Two of Christian Music’s most recognized and beloved artists, Chapman and Smith ended The United Tour on the heels of major Dove Award wins for both of them. Chapman took home the honors for the Gospel Music Association’s Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, while Smith’s A New Hallelujah was named Praise & Worship Album of the Year as well as Inspirational Song of the Year. Together, the two artists have garnered a staggering eight GRAMMY ® awards, 100 Dove Awards, 78 No. 1 singles and more than 30 gold and platinum albums.

Show Hope™, the orphan care ministry originally founded by Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, was the sponsor for the United Tour's 2009 spring leg. The tour’s response was overwhelming as over 2,400 individuals and families made monthly commitments to sponsor orphan care and adoption. With a mission to share the message of caring for the world’s orphans, Show Hope sponsors will be able to help more orphans than ever before find their forever families. Since its inception, Show Hope has financially helped provide forever homes for over 2,000 orphans from 40 countries, including the U.S. The ministry receives over 150 new adoption assistance requests each month. In addition to those needs, financial support to Show Hope also provides medical care, love and hope to orphans, and specifically special needs orphans at Maria’s Big House of Hope in Luoyang, China, which will house over 100 orphans at full capacity. For more information on how you can support the needs of Show Hope, please visit www.ShowHope.org.

Smith’s long-time ministry partner Compassion International (www.compassion.com) was able to benefit during the fall leg of The United Tour. More than 2,000 orphaned children in Compassion’s program around the world were sponsored as a result of the tour’s first 20 dates. “The fact that literally thousands of orphaned children’s lives were impacted through Compassion International in the fall and Show Hope in the spring is just an added blessing that came about through this tour,” Smith says.

The United Tour also formed a unique partnership with HearItFirst.com. With nearly 200,000 members, HIF proved itself the premiere online destination for behind-the-scenes videos and artist interviews with exclusive United Tour content featuring video of Steven and Michael interviewing each other. HearItFirst.com also partnered with the tour via a home page takeover, information to its members through its weekly newsletter, and a contest that won HIF fans free seats and backstage meet & greet passes in each city.

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