Michael W Smith - Change Your World

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

There's a myth around in music and it proliferates in a scene as profoundly under-financed as Britain's Christian music world, that all you need to make bril­liant albums is money. "If only I had Amy's recording budget" can sometimes be heard from British Christian music paupers who should know better. For they only have to flick through the pages of Music Week to discover "something the secular music industry is continually learning to its cost -throwing money at studios with 48 track desks and gigantic daily rates doesn't guar­antee musical excellence or commercial success. The fact on evidence here is that Michael W. Smith. Christian music's most successful male singer, has skilfully grabbed the big budget opportunities that a US Top Ten single brings, Change Your World' is an exhilarating 'fun' album. Its quality says much for the singing, songwriting and production chops of CCM's favourite pin-up. The first thing that strikes the listener about 'Change Your World' is that it showcases a much funkier Smitty than we've previously heard. For that. I think we've got to thank Mark Heinermann the co-producer of Lisa Bevill's hottie 'My Freedom'. Smitty and Heinermann's pro­duction on 'Change Your World" is superla­tive. Layers and layers of rhythm, harmony and more rhythm give the album a sizzling immediacy. The scorching rock opener "Picture Perfect" takes few prisoners with its Wayne Kirkpatrick penned hook "You don't have to be picture perfect/To be in my world/You don't have to be picture perfect/To be in my frame." Musically, the best tracks are the funkiest 'Colour Blind" with a groove that recalls the best of Stevie Wonder and the kicking "I Wanna Tell The World" which comes with some cool rap interjections from DC Talk's Toby McKee-han.   So what's Smitty singing about? Friendship and spiritual and emotional healing through self-esteem brought through knowing God are his chief preoccupations. But there are some other interesting topics, "Cross Of Gold", which has a SERIOUS dance beat, lambasts the holy rolers and sham Christians while the anthemic "Give It Away" will get plenty of Christian radio play with its chorus "Love isn't love until you give it away." Finally, there are two ballads which could be monster pop hits Stateside, a duet with Amy Grant "Somebody Some­how", a straight ahead romantic number, and "Friends" a return, after ten years, to one of Smitty's most enduring numbers. Once you've heard 'Change Your World' you'll see why it's already a gold album Stateside