From: ras@controls.ccd.harris.com (Russell Soule)
Newsgroups: rec.music.christian
Subject: MWS Change Your World
Date: 27 Aug 92 14:59:24 GMT
Organization: Harris Controls
Originator: ras@sp1


Hey everybody,

In this month's issue of CCM Magazine, they review Michael W. Smith's new
album "Change Your World". The review was written by Chris Well. I figured
there would be people out there in net-land who would be interesting in
it, so here are some excepts.

"Change Your World is something for the kid in all of us, because, more
than any album he's made before, Michael W. Smith has delivered a
supremely fun album, with layered melodies and harmonies of highest
caliber. Co-produced by Smith with Mark Heimermann, it would be easy
to describe CYW as The Big Picture with big background vocals; easy,
but unfair."

"CYW is still about spiritual and emotional healing through godly self-
esteem, and about finding friends who affirm you in your value system--
but this time it all feels so much more natural. In 'Picture Perfect',
Smith sings what could have been your basic, wholesome high school
love song, but writers Smith and long-time co-writer Wayne Kirkpatrick
head for the charming chorus, 'You don't have to be picture perfect/
To be in my world/You don't have to be picture perfect/To fit the frame.'"

"Smith and Kirkpatrick then come for the other side with 'Somebody Love 
Me', as Smith sings from the perspective of someone who feels unloved: 
'It's like wanting to sing/But needing a song/When will I hear the music
playing.' To the songwriter's credit, they don't attempt to answer
the problem with a cheap phrase or with 'God loves you, that's enough.'
Loneliness is real, and Smith's sympathy is refreshing."

"Though CYW isn't a banner-waving platform, Smith's faith is still integral
to his music: 'Give it Away' and 'Cross of Gold' are both clear statements
of where his foundation lies. The former is an anthem that should do
well on Christian radio, with the conclusion, 'Love isn't love until
you give it away.' And 'Cross of Gold' could very well be the focal
point of the whole album: musically, because it's a solid jam;
lyrically, because it calls the holy rollers out on the carpet--'Is it
a flame/Is it a passion...or is it a game/Religion on fashion.' In the
bridge, electronic whispers float over the music, 'Is it decoration
or proclamation? For some it's just something to wear around your
neck...it means a lot more than that to me.'"

"There's also a duet with Amy Grant, 'Somewhere Somehow' which may
confuse some. It's a song about distant loves, a kind of romantic
equivalent to 'Friends.' [This is me talking: I heard Somewhere Somehow
on the radio this morning, and it was pretty good stuff, although the
station had a lot of static so I didn't hear it too clearly]. And then
there's another love, the spunky 'I Wanna Tell the World,' which Smith
wrote for his wife (with help from writers Heimermann and DC TALK's
Toby McKeehan)."

"The big finale, though, is a fresh look at 'Friends,' which is
celebrating 10 years. While the first recording, primitive by
comparison, may accent the wistfulness of parting friends, the new
recording is a big sounding anthem that will no doubt become a
tear-jerker for a whole new arena a fans."

"When someone has as much to lose as Smith, it's exciting to see him
make a project this fun and natural. Some fans may pass on this
one---Lord bless 'em, they don't just want the seed, they want all
the fertilizer too---but CYW could certainly plant the seed of the
Gospel with listeners everywhere."

This is me again. Is it just me, or is anyone else anxiously waiting
for this album to be release? Has anyone else heard "Somewhere Somehow"
on the radio yet? What do you think?

By the way, this issue of CCM also contains a review of Mark Heard's new
one, "Satellite Sky", as well as a story on Mark's heart attacks (he's
still in a coma). The cover story is "NewsBoys Conquer America", and
there's an article on Mike Warnke about the Cornerstone article as well
as a Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper (Lexington Kentucky, the paper
closest to the offices off Warnke Ministries) article about an IRS 
investigation on Warnke and how they stripped his tax-exempt status.

God bless y'all,

Russ


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