Christian music legend returns to his pop-rock roots

After being out of the pop music game for about five years, Michael W. Smith is ready to bring his old flavor back.

The Christian contemporary singer/songwriter who hit the scene in 1983 and was a driving force behind building the Christian music industry has returned to his musical roots on his newest hit record, "Healing Rain," and Saturday night Smith plans to bring his re-invigorated, pop-infused music to the Show Me Center stage.

"I've put out an instrumental album in 'Freedom,' the two live 'Worship' albums and 'The Second Decade,' which is like a greatest hits album," Smith said. "Five years later we've got 'Healing Rain' coming out, so it's back to what I've done for most of my life."

The last pop studio album put out by one of Christian contemporary's most successful founding fathers was "This is Your Time" in 1999. Since then he experienced great success with the platinum-selling "Worship" and its Grammy-nominated follow-up "Worship Again," but all the while he was still sweating away at pop songwriting, waiting for a triumphant return.

Smith is billing "Healing Rain" and the accompanying tour as exactly that -- a powerful record with crunchy guitars, the artist's signature keyboard style, gritty effects and polished electronic studio work.

An artist who had already sold over 12 million records by the time "Healing Rain" came out, Smith is still experiencing that kind of success with his return to popdom.

As the title suggests, the new record is about "healing," Smith said. "God, to this day, is in the business of restoring people's lives."

Smith hopes the songs will help inspire people to care about their fellow human beings, references the AIDS crisis in Africa and war in the Sudan.

At the same time, Smith said "Healing Rain" is probably the most aggressive record he has ever done. "I think every song is different, and I think it is a much more guitar-driven record than past projects."

Released in October, "Healing Rain" debuted at number 11 on Billboard's Top 200 and the title track quickly rose to number one on Radio and Records Adult Contemporary charts, adding to his previous 29 No. 1 singles and 13 gold and platinum records.

With all that success, Smith has built a large following. And it's one that hasn't necessarily been there since the beginning. Some of his most successful work has been with the two live "Worship" albums released in 2001 and 2002, and those projects have garnered him new, younger audience members.

But this weekend, he hopes to be able to please everybody -- mostly.

"It's hard when you've recorded 200 songs and everybody wants to hear their favorite, it's extremely difficult, so you kind of go with your gut," said Smith. "I think that we'll be able to cover it. There's always somebody who's going to be upset because you didn't play their song but that's just the nature of the beast."

Of course, back in 1983, Smith had no idea he would ever have to worry about pleasing so many different fans. Back then, Christian contemporary music was far from the commercial and spiritual juggernaut that it is now.

"There's definitely been a tremendous growth and it's kind of a force to be reckoned with for a change, and people have to realize that it's real. In the past they thought ... it was four guys around a piano singing quarter music, but it's just not that."

Then again, without Smith's influence and his crossover success with songs like "My Place in This World," that success never could have happened. Now hard-rocking bands like Switchfoot are planting themselves even more in the mainstream and getting more and more young people to listen to Christian rock. The trend, said Smith, has a reason behind it.

"I think the music's gotten better. I think there was a time we didn't get a whole lot of attention because it probably wasn't up to par with what was going on in the mainstream.

"And then I think that we've figured out a way to let people know what this music's all about. There's a very few of us that get a chance to have mainstream success, and I think we got very creative marketing-wise and all of a sudden you get people that finally listen to it and go 'Gosh, why didn't people tell me about this years ago.'"

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182

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Want to go?

• What: Michael W. Smith "Healing Rain Tour" with special guests Selah and Watermark
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday, May 7
• Where: Show Me Center
• Info: 651-5000