REVIEW...

Matthew Smith - All I Owe
Released November 7, 2006 / Detuned Radio Records

Some of you will know Matthew Smith from his work with the RUF in Nashville and his work as writer, arranger, producer and singer on the Indelible Grace records that RUF puts out.

Smith's big deal is hymns: recording ones we know, finding ones we don't and occasionally putting his own musical spin on them. For what it's worth, Smith has quite a reputation for treating hymns with respect, messing with them very little, but rather presenting them as fresh sounds for those unfamiliar (or even apathetic.)

Let's take a look at the record. Smith excels at mid-tempo folk rock. Among the solid acoustic/electric/drum/bass combination appear banjos and dobros and nice organ touches. In addition, there are some cool percussion and synth additions that give the record some uniqueness.

SONGWRITING
You might think a dude doing hymns wouldn't need to do much songwriting, but you'd be wrong. On some of the more rare selections, Smith has written new melodies or arrangements; and on the hymns we all know and love, he's added some nice musical interludes in between verses. The challenge with hymn remakes is always one of dynamics. (i.e., how do you build a tune dynamically when it's the same four verses back-to-back?) Matthew Smith has written some beautiful arrangements for many of these tunes.

PRODUCTION
Production value on the record is good. It's certainly not as glossy as your typical pop project, but it's produced well. The record is creative from song to song without being so artistic that it loses consistency. I like the different acoustic guitar textures and the occasional use of more ethereal synth tones. Smith's vocals vary. His parts sit very nice in some tunes yet feel a little dry in others. There doesn't seem to be a lot of post-production on vocals which can sometimes make the lead and backing vocals seem a little 1-dimensional.

ACCESSIBILITY
The record is extremely accessible for worship teams. I like that the special instrumentation (banjo and the like) come in small bursts and don't every "carry" a song. Most any team w/ guitar, bass, drums and piano could make these songs happen. Highlights include Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing is great, complete with a beautiful, short musical interlude in-between verses. I also loved Jesus I Am Resting and His Love Can Never Fail. Smith has done a great job picking songs that are rich with theology and couched in organic musical stylings. I also think the record gives worship leaders more than just the benefit of some new songs. Working these into your sets will encourage you to dig into the history of these songs. Think what your crowd would do when you step up and say, "Hey, we're gonna' do a song from 1784, okay?" These songs are easy to sing, fun to play and are filled with a level of poetry we don't see too often in worship these days.

If you'd like to know more about Matthew Smith and his music, go here.