Michael W. Smith breaks through writer’s block in major way
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Contemporary Christian singer Michael W. Smith, performing at Fraze Pavilion in Kettering on Saturday, June 30, has amassed a considerable catalog over his threedecade career. The Grammy Award-winner added to his creative output this year with three albums and a children’s book. The wellspring of new material was quite a breakthrough for Smith, who struggled with writer’s block following the death of his father in 2015.
“Obviously, you’re never ready to say goodbye to a parent,” he said. “My dad passing hit me on a level I’d never experienced before, but part of the healing for me was backing up and not trying to enter into the arena too quick. It’s important to take time and grieve, whatever that looks like. Make sure your mom is OK and all that. I look back on it as a beautiful thing even though I wasn’t creating much.
“The new songs all kind of kicked in after the election, believe it or not,” Smith continued. “That propelled things into motion with writing the pop stuff for ‘A Million Lights.’ I couldn’t hit record quick enough so it really took off and I was back in the saddle.”
A week after the mid-February release of “A Million Lights,” Smith followed it with the live worship album, “Surrounded.”
“I did that for the adventure,” he said with a chuckle. “I hadn’t really planned on releasing two albums, even though I’d briefly thought about it a year-and-a-half ago when the rap artist Future released two records backto-back weeks. I thought that was kind of cool. You couldn’t have done that 10 Who: Michael W. Smith with Matthew West Where: Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30. Cost: $35 lawn & terrace, $50 plaza & orchestra in advance. All ticket prices increase $5 day of show
More info: 937-2963300 or www.fraze.com Artist info: www. michaelwsmith.com years ago, but the record business has changed so much now you can do anything.”
The material on “Surrounded” was inspired by a Bible passage in the Book of Amos.
“I had read it many times, but somebody suggested I read it again,” Smith said. “God is talking to his people and he sounds like he’s ticked. He basically says, ‘I’m tired of your sacrifices. I’m really tired of your music, turn it off.’ He says, ‘I’m looking for justice to roll off a waterfall.’
“That made me question if I was doing this thing right,” he added. “It made me reexamine everything and all of a sudden I started creating the album, ‘Surrounded.’ I wanted to have every tribe and every color and justice had to be at the center of it.”
Smith’s other 2018 projects were quite different. In May, he released his first children’s book, “Nighty Night and Good Night,” and the accompanying album, “Lullaby.”