Carstairs Considers....: Music Review: The Second Decade by Michael W. Smith

Friday, May 10, 2013

Music Review: The Second Decade by Michael W. Smith

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: 15 excellent tracks that truly represent the best from these years

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Second decade hits

Collected on this great disc

All fans will enjoy

A Second Decade Means a Second Collection from Michael W. Smith

After his first 10 years as a Christian recording artist, Michael W. Smith released his first best of collection. 2003 marked the end of his second decade, and he released the appropriately titled The Second Decade: 1993-2003 to commemorate the milestone.

As a fan, I was a big skeptical when I heard it was coming out. The second decade saw Michael experiment quite a bit. He didn't release nearly as many pop CDs. In fact, there were two 3 year breaks in there, plus an instrumental disc and two worship projects. And yet when I saw the song line up, I got excited all over again. There may not have been as many projects in his second decade, but there were still plenty of hits.

The majority of the focus here is on two of his releases, Live the Life and I'll Lead You Home. These two discs alone account for eight of the fifteen tracks. And what great songs there are, too.

Actually, three of the tracks from I'll Lead You Home were rather obvious. "Cry for Love" was a huge hit at the time, and it holds up quite well. It's an upbeat pop number with keyboard and a funky percussion section. For some reason, I always think of NASCAR when I hear it, and I'm not quite sure why since the song is a cry to slow down and experience God's love. Anyway, the title track was another obvious choice. A slower piano song, the song is God's promise to always be with us. "Straight to the Heart" is another slower piano song that reminds us of God's presence.

Then there's "Breakdown." The song has always stood out as a hard rocker in which Michael W. Smith calls out America for its moral decline. It intersperses one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches. This one claims to be the RrrrB remix. Even after these years, I've noticed very little in the way of differences. Which is probably a good thing since I've never been a big fan of remixes.

It's not surprise to me that one of the song representing Live the Life was the title cut. The piano ballad was always a great call to live out our faith on a daily basis. On the other end of the spectrum is the rocking "Missing Person" that tries to recapture that childlike faith. Both of these songs are favorites of mine to this day. "Never Been Unloved" is a peppy mid-tempo piece that reminds us of God's daily love. And you can't deny the outright fun musically and lyrically of "Love Me Good."

Michael's third pop release of the decade is only represented by one song. Honestly, "This is Your Time" was the only truly great song from that release. A slow guitar and string ballad inspired by the events at Columbine, it reminds us of the need to stand up for our faith.

When Smitty turned his focus to worship music in the early part of the 00's, he hit it big twice. It isn't that big a surprise that he chose two songs from those projects. "Above All" is the live version, and you can hear the audience singing along with him and the piano and strings. Likewise, "You are Holy (Prince of Peace)" is the live version. This song is much more upbeat and includes guitar, drums, and much clapping with the piano. Neither song is original to Michael W. Smith, but both are good and well represent those two discs.

Michael has often claimed that he was an instrumental artist at the core, and he reflected that with Freedom, his 2000 release. Once again, the title track is included here. It's a stirring piece that feels like it belongs in a battle movie or museum. Since Michael is a piano player, it starts out as the main instrument. But it soon goes away in favor of horns, pipes, and drums that sound like a call of some sort.

Of course, all CD's like this must have new content to get die hard fans like me to buy them. The first of those tracks is a new version of Michael's classic song "Friends." This is an all star version that was song at the Dove Awards that year and was only available on the CD from that show before this disc. The line up includes Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, Avalon, Point of Grace, Michael Tait, Mac Powell, Joy Williams, and of course Michael W. Smith near the end.

And there are two brand new songs. The first track is "Signs," co-written with his son Ryan. It's a mid tempo song about the freedom that comes with repentance. Piano based, it's got a driving base line and really ups the feel when Michael reaches the chorus.

The other new song closes the disc. "Raging Sea" is God speaking to us in the midst of life's storms as he gently reminds us that He will be with us. It's a beautiful piano ballad supplemented with strings. It's a stirring final number.

Michael W. Smith may not have released as many discs in his The Second Decade, but the songs collected here prove they were all quality releases. The new songs are good enough to make this a must buy for long term fans, while casual fans will want to make sure they've got all of these excellent tracks in their collection.

CD Length: 1:08:38

Tracks:

1. Signs

2. Missing Person

3. Cry for Love

4. This is Your Time

5. Live the Life

6. Never Been Unloved

7. Love Me Good

8. Breakdown (RrrrB Remix)

9. Straight to the Heart

10. I'll Lead You Home