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You know the old joke, "Where does a five hundred-pound gorilla sit when he goes to the movies?" "Anywhere he wants." Having successfully proved over the course of his seventeen-year career that he is indeed the five hundred-pound gorilla of the Christian music industry, with 25 Dove Awards, eight gold albums, and 25 #1 Christian radio singles to his credit, Michael W. Smith chose for his next effort to go to the movies. Or, more accurately, he decided to produce an entirely instrumental album which he describes as "the soundtrack to a movie in my head." Though a marked departure from the meat and potatoes of pure pop his fans have grown used to, Freedom is a remarkably understated album with moments of lush orchestration, highlighted by the strong melodic foundation on which his music has always relied.

Certainly Smith has run the gamut of musical languages in his extensive career, from his early days of exuberant pop-worship anthems, through his mid-80's keyboard-driven power rock in the style of Yes or the Clash, to his two most recent triumphs, the exquisitely crafted pop masterpieces Live the Life and This is Your Time. Though the landscape has changed, however, there has always been a common thread running through his music-- a strong emphasis on melody, carefully thought-out song arrangements, and spot-on instrumentation. All of these elements provide the canvas for Freedom, on which Smith carefully lays his own musical coloring. 

Though a definite Irish theme can be traced throughout many of the tracks, due to Smith's collaboration with the Irish Film Orchestra, the moments of cinematic pomp are tempered nicely by understated jewels like "The Offering" or "Prayer for Taylor," the former a brief interlude with a haunting theme led by an Irish fiddle. Smith isn't afraid to extend all his powers of expression elsewhere, romping through Celtic territory on "Hibernia" and explosive power-pop on "The Call." The lasting memory of the album, though, is in the superb center theme which resonates long after its introduction on the opening track, and the last notes of its curtain call, "Free Man." The interweaving of this common theme produces a complexity underlying the album as a whole, producing a pleasant unity. 

Throughout his career, Michael W. Smith has made a habit of blending diverse ingredients into his own brand of streamlined pop. On Freedom he takes another giant leap forward and adds to his list of achievements with an album that succeeds under a completely different set of rules than any of his other work-- certainly an achievement worth applauding.

Glenn McCarty 3/7/2001