Reinventing Music

I am proud and embarrassed at the same time with the music in my teenage years (1980's). One of those artists was Michael W Smith (aka Smitty).

Smitty has had to reinvent himself numerous times. Hairstyles, piano - then guitar - back to piano, Chicago-horn section, Titanic-like soundtracks, Christmas orchestral boy choir, and the list goes on.

While I don't follow Smitty today, I do admire his reinventions. I wonder if his new release in October 2008 will be a reinvention that's fresh? Hoping that a mainstay in CCM will breathe new life and be able to point people to God with His music while transcending generational gaps.

Reinvention is a difficult job.

clipped from www.tennessean.com New worship album due from Michael W. Smith Contemporary Christian mainstay Michael W. Smith has a new disc due out on Oct. 28, and it makes his third foray into the lucrative worship-release market. The album, A New Hallelujah, was recorded live this June at a Houston, Tex. performance in front of some 12,000-plus fans. At the two-hour event/recording, Smith was joined by a 250-voice choir, fellow Christian market star Israel Houghton, Houston-based worship leader Coalo Zamorano and The African Children’s Choir. Hallelujah marks a whopping 21 releases from Smith, and includes a mix of well-known worship songs and originals penned specifically for the project. “Since my last world tour a few years ago, I’ve been looking forward to recording a live worship project that reflected something more global than I’ve ever done before," Smith said in a statement. "I had hoped for an evening of worship that reflected the corners of our nation, and the world; I think we captured that."