The Master Plan - Michael Sweet
The Master Plan - Michael Sweet
The Master Plan
Michael Sweet
ww.michaelsweet.com
Label: Frontiers Records
11 tracks / 45:39
The Master Plan is the long-anticipated worship oriented solo project from Stryper front-man Michael Sweet. So, what did you expect? Hillsong Metal? Symphonic Stryper? Generic ‘praise and worship’ but with a good, gutsy lead vocalist? Thankfully, The Master Plan is none of the above. On his latest solo project, Michael Sweet stays true to his musical and spiritual roots. A personal statement of faith, this album represents not only Sweet’s devotional side but also everything that inspires his musical pedigree – that means you can expect to hear two things for sure: good songwriting and rock and roll.
Before the words praise and worship became a brand, they were simply two words describing the act of expressing (1) favorable judgement, and (2) respect and reverence. No element of style was ever assigned to the definition – so rock and roll (or pop music) can be a valid form of worship when it comes from the heart, or reaches unbiased ears, and touches the soul. In that respect we have a praise and worship album here – but don’t be fooled. It rocks. That is, it rocks in places. There’s also a strong pop sensibility behind the construction of these hooky, well written songs.
The Master Plan has its power ballads, especially “Again,” “Eternally,” and the wonderful title track (which has a powerful repeating outro that builds nicely). Although they sound ‘big’ they’re never syrupy, and Michael’s signature, emotional vocal style delivers the heartfelt lyrics effectively.
So how is this different from what Michael Sweet does on a Stryper album? It certainly sounds more personal – free from any expected style issues. There are no big anthems crying out for gang vocals and fist-pumping. There’s simply a lot of good basic traditional songwriting on this project. Sweet’s underlying foundations seem to peek through the surface of songs like “Lord,” which has a great pop sensibility and has some fun and even nostalgic background vocals (echoes of the girl-groups of the 60s) as well as a nice, funky guitar break. There are more keyboards present than usual and, thankfully, no adherence to a musical formula. The excellent “Believer” even references a Rolling Stones-like rhythm guitar riff – it’s a real celebration of a song with pounding piano, wailing guitar, a great hook and a nice tempo change in the middle. With lyrics like “When I see your holiness / When I feel your love / Your tenderness / There’s no other one or way / I’m a Believer” the song is a danceable expression of gratitude to God and – for me, anyway – is a highlight of the album. Worship comes in all forms.
This is a fun, enjoyable album full of songs that honor God. From the bouncy, breezy “Stronger” to the sweeping, rocking “Worship You,” this is an album of well-produced, accessible songs with great playing (including some really strong guitar breaks) and Sweet’s usual excellent vocals. This will appeal to a wide range of listeners – especially those that remember the great classic hymns like “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music” and “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.” Yeah, you’ll get this.
4 TOCKS
-Bert Saraco
