|
1st
May, 2007
JOE
MONTAGUE
Album:
Real
Artist: Sean Smith
Label: Tag Artist Group, 2006
In a word: Beautiful
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"Real is an album that explores many
aspects of our faith and challenges us to respond
to the call of God upon our lives to go where He wants
us to go."
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Sean Smith’s
music sweeps in like a breath of fresh air with his new CD
Real. The singer’s rich vocals begin with the
opening song - the title track Real - with Smith
ably supported with backup vocals from Drew Cline, Lisa Bevill,
and two American Idol finalists Mandisa Hundley (2006) and
Melinda Doolittle (2007).
If you are easily moved to tears have a box of tissues close
at hand when the third track If Sierra Can Smile
begins to play. The song of a young child hospitalised serves
up a reminder of just how much we take for granted in our
own lives. The singer reminds us that, “If Sierra can
smile through her pain...then why can’t we?”
Real is an album that explores many aspects of our
faith and challenges us to respond to the call of God upon
our lives to go where He wants us to go. The song Man
Of Meaning challenges us to stand in the gap where God
requires people of faith. The singer finds his purpose not
in dramatic fashion but in his quiet time, alone with God.
Smith’s deep
vocals and the simple acoustic guitar accompaniment by Dave
Cleveland paint a pretty picture. One of my personal favorites
from this CD is the R&B flavored Noah Built A Boat
which reminds us that the patriarch was out there building
a boat at a time when nobody had ever seen rain. The aforementioned
backup singers are this time joined by Missy Hale and Jason
Eskridge.
Sean Smith writes songs with the passion of Mark Hall (Casting
Crowns) but possesses a better voice (sorry Mark). Smith wrote
or co-wrote (with producer Phil Naish and Lowell Alexander)
nine of the ten tunes on Real.
Smith appears equally comfortable and adept with meditative
pretty lullabies such as Words Of Grace as he is
with The Edge of Forever which gets pretty close
to rocking out. If you have children, whether they are now
adult-aged or still tiny, you will be moved by the sensitivity
with which Smith approaches the lyrics to Words of Grace.
Russell Mauldin arranged the strings.
Although the music for this album is beautiful, producer Naish
has done a good job of keeping things simple, which helps
highlight Smith’s vocal performance and allows the listener
to clearly hear the poignant lyrics. The album features Chris
Donohue on bass, Dave Cleveland (guitars), Naish on keys and
John Careozza on the B3.
Sean Smith’s CD Real is a booklet of the most
beautiful songs that I have heard so far in 2007.
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