Posted 12/04/06
Nineteen albums into his career and less than a year from his 50th birthday, Michael W. Smith continues mixing up his creative palette. On the brand new Stand, the famed singer/songwriter leader merges contemporary pop, praise and a newly developed organic feel—courtesy of producer Matt Bronleewe and co-writer Leeland Mooring, the 18-year-old front man for Leeland, who contributes to seven tunes. Though the messages vary throughout eleven songs, Smitty makes a bold call to the church to not only stand up for its beliefs while reaching out to the world, but also being confident of God's love for his people, despite the Devil's distractions. We talked to Smith about Stand and its concepts, how the church can take a stand, and his take on the current state of Christian music.
How were you able to make the record so quickly, especially after the Healing Rain tour, your family and church duties, plus releasing the movie The Second Chance?
Smith: The biggest thing was that The Second Chance was supposed to come out in the fall of '05 and was bumped to February '06, which is when I was supposed to focus on nothing but the new Smitty record. But from January through June, I was traveling around the country promoting the movie, so that was the biggest thing that put me behind—and then trying to find some time to get creative and back into the saddle.
I thought there was no way to get the record done in time for a fall release. The only way to pull it off was to take some risks. I turned over all production responsibilities to somebody else, and felt the need to co-write. I wrote with a 17-year-old kid [at the time] named Leeland [Mooring] and Matt Bronleewe produced the whole record. We cut it in 45 days, and I really like what happened.
Tell me about the more organic direction.
Smith: There's no veneer and I think it's very authentic. There's not a synth on the record and it's very transparent and very personal. I think you hear that, especially when you hear me singing and there's not a whole lot of reverb. Although I didn't plan it, the record at least feels like more than just a bunch of songs. It feels like an experience, especially through that middle part that starts with a song I wrote for my daughter called "How to Say Goodbye" through "The Stand" and "Come See." It all feels like I could've done that in church and it would've worked straight through.
How did you discover Leeland and invite him to contribute as a writer?
Smith: I heard about the band Leeland through my management and they were having a showcase at The W in Franklin. I caught probably the last three songs of their set and was blown away, not only by the music and songs, but what I saw on stage—the authenticity and heart, especially of Leeland, this kid who didn't even want to become rock star. It was just an anointing—and I don't say that often—and I knew there something extremely special about this kid.
I met him afterwards, got a seven-song CD the next day, and two days later I said, "I've got a wild idea: What if we brought in Leeland to co-write for three or four days?" So I called him up, and he came to town and started writing away. Since then we've become very good friends, and all my kids have fallen in love with him and the whole band.
I had some ideas, Matt had ideas and Leeland came with tons of ideas and we couldn't hit "record" fast enough! In the studio, I was on a little Wurlitzer piano, Matt was on guitar and Leeland on guitar. We just jammed and got excited. Across three days, we had ten ideas that were down and we ended up taking a bunch of them that made it on the album.
There are familiar Smitty-isms on Stand, but there are also some fresh ideas. How would you define the shifts, and how do you think longtime fans will perceive them?
Smith: Most fans will probably say it sounds like Smitty, but I think most will say he reinvented himself. I think that's the challenge: How do you reinvent and still stay true to who you are? Sometimes that's not easy, but I feel like I did it. It feels like it came from the heart, and I don't think anything on this record isn't me.
I have to give a lot of the credit to Matt. We had to decide what kind of record it was going to be in terms of audio: Is it going to be slick or organic? We decided we wanted this record to bepretty simple without a hundred tracks on each song.
The thing I'm most excited about this album is you feel like it takes you on a journey. I wish we could say we planned it that way, but that's not true. But is was amazing that all of a sudden at the end when you're sequencing, you're like "Oh my goodness, we have something here!"
How do you stay in touch with current trends rather than remaking Go West Young Man or Change Your World all over again?
Smith: I have to give my kids the most credit. I learn more about music from them, and I purposely try to stay current because I have a real heart for youth culture. Also friends like Leeland introduce me to records, and it's almost like we're trading information.
Who have you been digging lately?
Smith: The last thing I want to do is sound like someone else, but I'm a big Coldplay fan, and have been going back to older U2 again, along with their newest record. I'm also getting into a band called Carpark North; they're so creative, and they have a song called "Human" that's very '80s and reminds me of something I'd write. My daughter Emily is a big fan of Mew and we went and saw them in concert. They're so fresh and new and I love their melodies.
Speaking of your daughters, tell me about writing "How to Say Goodbye" for Whitney, and also collaborating on it with Amy Grant.
Smith: I wrote that for Whitney when she was 19, and we were dropping her off at Pepperdine [in Malibu, California], which is at the opposite end of the world [from Nashville]. We've always been extremely close, and I knew it would be hard, but that's part of life. Kids grow up and you've got to let go, but I wasn't ready and it wiped me out for days. I cried for days because I just missed her, and four or five days after I got back, I wrote [the music to] the song. I then called Amy because she's been through this, since her son just graduated high school. It's been a long time since I've written with her and I had a gut feeling she was the one to write the lyric. She came out the very next day, and turned the lyric in two or three days later. I think she really knocked it out of the park in terms of looking into my heart and expressing what I wanted to say.
How would you describe the whole "taking a stand" concept?
Smith: I think Stand is more of a response than starting some sort of revolution or changing the world. We're all obviously supposed to change the world and do something for somebody else, but I think it's just a response and a message I'll be preaching the rest of my life. I'm trying to get the church to realize who they are.
I think there's a good percentage of people in the church that still wrestle with so much—maybe abuse, or growing up and feeling like they'll never amount to anything—and I honestly believe that's because the Enemy wants to disqualify us. Somewhere along the way we bought into that, but I had a revelation years ago when I finally woke up and realized who I was. I was a son of the God of universe, who not only loves me, but wants to hang out with me. That's totally changed my life!
That's a lot of power, but do we really operate in that sort of power? I think for the most part, no. But if you could get the church to look in the mirror and say "I like you. I like what you're becoming," then we'd be getting somewhere. Of course life's hard, but that sort of faith and knowing who you are, man, if we could get there, that would be great!
Do you think the church is ready to take that step?
Smith: I don't think we are. We're the quick-fix nation, and we've been blinded by the whole thing of whether we're being entertained or wanting to feel good. If someone doesn't feel anything for their spouse anymore, they can just get a divorce. We need to go to a deep place of intimacy with the Father, and I think when you come to know really who you are, it's a revelation that's life-changing. For me it's a big message that will make church what it's supposed to be—to see neighborhoods change, towns change and nations change.
How does this sort of revelation happen for believers one at a time?
Smith: First of all, I really do believe a big part is revelation. How does that happen? I think it's reading the Word and really looking at the Scriptures. We've all been raised in a society built on a lot of legalism. We want to make sure that we "qualify," and that we fit in with the cool club. But the only thing that really lasts is the love from the Father. I don't think it's that complicated, because the gospel is very simple.
Do you feel like today's youth are breaking away from that legalism and actually living out their faith with more practicality?
Smith: I would hope so! I see that to a certain degree, and I'm encouraged. You're seeing a generation of college kids who've really come to know who they are, and exercising their faith like no other generation. They're feeding the poor, standing up for justice, saying, "Hey, no spring break this year. Let's go to Mississippi and help clean up." They're seeing the real joy that comes from pouring their life into somebody else.
What are your assessments on the state of Christian music?
Smith: I think some things are really good, and there are probably some things that are not so good. A lot of stuff is kind of okay, but I've heard it before. I feel like we could always raise the bar in terms of doing something fresh.
I'll never forget talking with Bono about the music business, and he said, "We're lacking great ideas." I really think it all boils down to a song. It can have the greatest production in the world, but if you don't have a song, you don't have much at all! How can we retell the story, if we write about our relationship with God, in a whole new way that we've never seen before? We need to write songs that are so compelling you can stand back in awe and go, "Oh my word, those are the songs I'd like to see written in our marketplace!"
For more about Michael W. Smith, check out our site's artist page for him. You can read our review of his album Stand by clicking here. Visit Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and buy his music.
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