Description
A Million Lights is a studio album by the American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Michael W. Smith, released on his own label Rocketown Records in February 2018, in co-operation with The Fuel Music.
A Million Lights debuted at No. 1 on the SoundScan Christian retail chart while holding the No. 1 position most of release week on iTunes and Amazon.com’s Christian music charts. Together with his live praise & worship album Surrounded released the following week, the new albums became Michael W. Smith’s 30th and 31st Top 10 entry on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart, more than any other solo artist in history.
Down the decades Michael has had several musical makeovers. Starting out with something prog pop new wave, finding paydirt with singer/songwriter ballads and in recent years becoming a populariser of modern worship, Michael has always been prepared to try something new and has clearly never been tempted to sit back and enjoy his hard-earned status as an elder statesman of CCM. Instead, in February the 60 year old released this set which raised quite a few eyebrows amongst his long-time supporters because some of the tracks here are, more-or-less, EDM. The very idea that the veteran could re-invent himself with programmed drum loops, Top 40-sounding dancehall rhythms and autotuned vocals is intriguing and shows that Michael is fully conversant with today’s music. In fact, «Conversations» is something you could almost imagine on a DJ Snake album. There are also some schmaltzy ballads like on «Footsteps» and «You Make Me Feel This Way» but his duet with Jordan Sparks, «Hey, Love», and «Who You Are», with a U2-flavoured slow build with chiming guitars and eighth note bass definitely pull the listener in. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, June 2018]
Multi-platinum artist Michael W. Smith has been around long enough to have produced both very fine music and schmaltzy duds, but you can normally depend on his albums to gleam with polish (I thought his middle name was ‘radio-friendly’ but that doesn’t start with ‘W,’ so it can’t be). This one certainly has a strong and vibrant sound, but it has substance as well as style.
Workload burnout and the death of his father put Smith’s creative side on hiatus until last year. This album (and the slower live set Surrounded, released within a week of it) came in a bit of a rush, largely as a response, he says, to America’s bi-partisan tensions in particular and the vitriol that often taints social media.
So there is a practical spiritual core to these songs. «Your Love» is both about God’s faithfulness and the impact of following him; while specific songs about living together, while agreeing to disagree, include «Revolution» and «Conversation», which says,
One by one we’re separated
What I thought was love just looked like hatred
I’ve been losing myself trying to prove you wrong
And right now, all I know is I can’t go on
So I’m stepping across all the lines I’ve drawn«Love Always Wins» is just as explicit and intentional about loving those with whom we disagree:
I know you’re listening from the other side, so here I come, no longer will I hide
Your guns are pointed straight at me. Love always wins.
I had it all, but I burned it down
If we don’t get lost then we don’t get found
We all have violence hiding deep within
I need to hear it time and time again…love always winsThe title track is a wonderful cosmos-inspired praise song. Surrounded is officially the worship album, but this track makes me want to praise and dance more than any on that collection. This has a broader content, too. A couple of tracks urge listeners to trust that God has not made them by accident and to live out their purpose – partly his response to the drug and suicide epidemic; «Forgive» is a plea to abused people to forgive their abusers, so that they can move forward with their lives; «Footsteps» is a tribute to his Dad’s legacy and example (although it also works for us and our heavenly father); and «Hey You» is a love duet with Jordin Sparks.
So there is a depth to this that many praise-only albums miss, and as this is about lived-out faith, I’d consider it more of a true worship album than a more vertically-focussed and words-based one. But the upbeat pop style makes it very easy to listen to. His songs don’t seem that complex (and some here are similar to older songs), but the gleaming polish he always gives them makes them shine brightly. Smith’s voice is still gruff velvet and he has probably never sounded either fresher or more European. Welcome back, MWS. [Derek Walker, The Phantom Tollbooth, 12 March 2018]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-million-lights/1302625385)
CD tracklist:
01. A Million Lights – 3:36
02. Conversation – 4:03
03. Something in My Heart – 3:27
04. Footsteps – 3:36
05. Your Love – 3:55
06. Love Always Wins – 3:45
07. Crashing Waves – 4:18
08. Louder – 3:50
09. Revolution – 3:03
10. Hey Love – 3:46
11. You Make Me Feel This Way – 3:25
12. Forgive – 4:09
13. Who You Are – 4:19
A Million Lights Trailer
I have had more fun listening to A Million Lights by Michael W. Smith than any of his other recordings. It’s the blend of electronic and acoustic that delights and fascinates. One moment it sounds like EDM (electronic dance music), the next I hear organic instrumentation. So expect this unexpected hybrid. Surprises often happen on a bridge. In «Love Always Wins» suddenly you hear the gentle chords of an acoustic guitar. In «Crashing Waves» it’s the sound of a church organ. That might seem like a turnoff but this retro sound fits perfectly.
Smith accomplishes what can sometimes elude established artists, who seek to remain relevant. Musically and lyrically this speaks in the language of today. It’s not just the EDM influence heard on many of the tracks. He frequently references the discord and division in our society and engaging those who are different. A cynic might dismiss it all as being too simplistic. I think of the apostle Paul’s words, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7). Love has a healthy curiosity that seeks to understand the other. It builds a bridge instead of a wall. It crosses lines, sometimes self-imposed, to reach out. So I like it when Smith sings, “Bring me into the conversation … I just want to talk to you.”
So not only would I regard this as among Smith’s best work, it’s like an antidote; gentle persuasion towards making the bitter waters sweet. Listening increases hope. In need of a personal resurrection? Try «Crashing Waves», which sounds as powerful as its title. The forceful singing and music reminds me of some of the most passionate moments on his Worship (2001) release. The striking imagery adds to it all:
Somebody hid the sun / In the midnight of suffering / My tears are falling down / And crashing like waves / Somebody stole the day / And took your light from me / I’ll never be the same / Roll this stone away.
This song seems so fitting as Easter approaches on the calendar. Initially, it made me think of the day when for a time the sun refused to shine. It was the midnight of suffering for the Son of Man, as he cried out, feeling forsaken.
Please be aware that this is not one of Smith’s worship releases. It’s a studio project of pop though at times it crosses over to include adoration. Instead for the first time in his career he has released two albums in a week, the second being Surrounded, a live worship recording, which I won’t comment on here as I have yet to hear it.
When Smith’s first album, The Michael W. Smith Project (1983), was released, production like this did not exist. Bryan Todd, Kyle Lee and Smith, who is a co-producer, deserve credit for making this sound so enjoyable.
A Million Lights opening title track imagines the stars worshiping God. If they had a language it might sound like the mysterious noises that you hear at the beginning, and which pop up in other forms later on. Don’t think that it’s all wildly different. It’s still the same voice, though varied at times by programming. Plus, some of the tracks toward the end are more acoustic.
«Hey Love» is a piano and strings duet with Jordin Sparks that reunites Smith with his longtime songwriting partner, Wayne Kirkpatrick. It’s a beautiful ballad with a touch of melancholy as it contemplates the empty nest syndrome. Shortly afterwards its followed by «Forgive», another introspective track written with Wes King. I would have enjoyed hearing him play on it, but he may have retired from session work. Regardless, I’m glad for the depth that he brings to these lyrics. This is followed by another big name collaboration, none other than Cindy Morgan on «Who You Are». For those who might not know, Smith normally composes the music to lyrics supplied by others.
You hear his keyboard work throughout, and the melodies are captivating. In addition to praise and worship, Smith excels in pop craft, and it is evident here. It sounds fresh to me. It’s the Michael W. Smith album I didn’t know that I wanted. [Michael Dalton, The Phantom Tollbooth, 15 March 2018]
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