A few times I’ve been asked when it all went wrong for Christian music. I truly believe that this album was that moment. This was MWS’s 10th album and as far as commercial success goes it was his biggest. This album actually entered the Billboard 200 at #16 which is the highest-debuting Christian album in history. It also won the 1996 Grammy Award in the ‘Best Pop-Contemporary Gospel Album’. Unfortunately this caught the attention of record executives and that lead to where we are today. When Christian artists were small change their labels were lead by other Christians who knew what Christians wanted to hear. Now we are fed what the executives think we want which most people listen to reluctantly and some even actually think they like it. This album is literally every worship service I now hear on Sunday minus the congregation singing along. The songs are absolutely dull and has zero creativity. The album was recorded in 8 different studios with 22 engineers. I’m not kidding, 22 engineers and 40 musicians. As a result the album has absolutely no flow at all and no continuity in the sound or feel of the album. It’s just a collection of mediocre worship songs. This is what record executives thought we wanted to hear. No, it’s what our parents wanted to hear, we wanted to hear Rock & Roll whatever definition that had in 1995. So this was the beginning of the end. I have listened to this album 3 times in 2 days now and I can not remember one track. Not one. Absolutely nothing on this album stood out. Sorry Michael you put zero effort into the album and it shows but apparently that’s what our parents wanted and here we are today.
Tracklist
1 – Cry For Love – 5:12
2 – Breakdown – 5:27
3 – As It Is In Heaven – 5:09
4 – Straight To The Heart – 2:48
5 – Someday – 3:52
6 – I’ll Be Around – 4:45
7 – I’ll Lead You Home – 5:23
8 – Trilogy: The Other Side Of Me – 4:24
9 – Trilogy: Breathe In Me – 3:55
10 – Trilogy: Angels Unaware – 4:37
11 – Calling Heaven – 4:54
12 – A Little Stronger Everyday – 4:43
13 – Crown Him With Many Crowns – 4:34
14 – I’m Waiting For You – 3:12
Credits
A&R – Don Donahue
Acoustic Guitar – Bruce Gaitsch
Arranged By, Conductor – Jeremy Lubbock
Art Direction – Rob Birkhead
Backing Vocals – Brent Bourgeois, Chris Rodriguez, Gardner Cole, Lisa Cochran, Louis Johnson, Micah Wilshire, Molly Felder, Natalie Jackson, Renee Garcia Bliss, Richard Page, Tim Erwin
Bass – Lee Sklar, Tommy Simms
Choir – Angelo, Anointed, Bob Bailey, Chris Harris, Chris Rodriguez, Da Dra Crawford, Denise “Nee-C” Walls, Donna McElroy, Kim Fleming, Mary Tiller, Micah Wilshire, Michael Mellett, Nicole Coleman Mullen, Steve Crawford, Veronica Petrucci, Vicki Hampton
Contractor – Jules Chaikin
Coordinator [Vocal Coordinator] – Donna McElroy
Design – Buddy Jackson, Karinne Caulkins
Design [Creative Assistant] – Diana Lussenden
Drum Programming – Marc Moreau, Patrick Leonard
Drums – Brian MacLeod, Chris McHugh, Steve Brewster, Vinnie Colaiuta
Engineer [Second] – Al Lay, Darren Smith, David Dilbeck, David Faulkner, Dennis Patton, Greg Parker, Jason Wilder, Jeff Wright, John “JT” Thomas, Krish Sharma, Mike Janas, Patrick Kelly, Paula Montondo, Rob Burrell, Scott Lenox
Executive-Producer – Michael Blanton, Michael W. Smith
Guitar – Dann Huff
Keyboards – Patrick Leonard
Keyboards, Piano – Michael W. Smith
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Mixed By – Bill Deaton, Craig Hansen, David Thoener, Jerry Jordan
Organ – Patrick Leonard
Percussion – Luis Conte
Photography By – Ben Pearson, Russ Harrington
Photography By [Cover] – Timothy White
Producer – Michael W. Smith, Patrick Leonard
Programmed By – Michael W. Smith
Programmed By [Additional] – Brian MacLeod, Dennis Patton
Programmed By [Synth] – Patrick Leonard
Recorded By – Bryan Lenox, Craig Hansen, Jerry Jordan, Keith Compton, Marc Moreau
Steel Guitar – Paul Franklin
Vocals – Michael W. Smith
Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Pila Music
Manufactured By – Reunion Records
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Reunion Records
Copyright © – Reunion Records
Recorded At – Sixteenth Avenue Sound, A&M Studios, Deer Valley Studio, Franklin, TN, Gambit Studio, Johnny Yuma Recording, Masterfonics, Sound Kitchen, Studio At Mole End, The Castle Recording Studios
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Glass Mastered At – Adivan Switzerland
Designed At – Jackson Design
