Genre:
Gospel
Release Date: 10/28/2008
Church-geared worship music is a no-brainer for
Michael W. Smith. The style comes so easily to him:
A New Hallelujah, his third live praise collection, feels as if it could have been conjured up in his sleep. Not one to do things on a small scale,
Smith and a conglomerate of musicians, singers, and stagehands took to one of America's biggest megachurches,
Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, to bring to fruition this lively crop of praise choruses, an assemblage of covers and
Smith originals that, in one way or another, attempt to replicate the tone and tenor of his mega-sellers
Worship and
Worship Again. It's been a long six years since those two albums, so it stands to reason that
A New Hallelujah doesn't quite reach similar plateaus, even though it bears all the hallmarks of a
Smith concert -- singable melodies, serviceable pop/rock arrangements, and even a little grandstanding. To remain relevant in the worship arena -- he did, after all, go back to the Christian pop realm after the
Worship craze subsided, to mixed results --
Smith handpicked a number of praise staples from the likes of
Hillsong,
Chris Tomlin, and
Delirious?, and even called on church-focused composers
Paul Baloche,
Israel Houghton, and
Martin Smith for co-write assists. In the end, though, the particulars about
A New Hallelujah seem to matter little to the tens of thousands in attendance -- the fact that they are being led in corporate singing by the CCM star is reason enough for them to respond heartily. When the music fades, though,
A New Hallelujah is no more than another notch in
Smith's live catalog -- far from essential to the praise & worship canon, but an otherwise likable entry from one of Christian music's original modern psalmists.
~Andree Farias, All Music Guide
;)
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