Worship Again

Building off the massive success of Worship, Michael W. Smith is back with yet another collection of worship-oriented material. With Worship, Smitty cleverly captured the essence of today's modern worship movement with familiar material. Don't look for such familiarity on the more eclectic Worship Again, yet the passion of praise still radiates strongly from this mostly live release. Smith showcases his masterful composition skills at the very start, merging Rich Mullins's "Step by Step" into his own "Forever We Will Sing." The end result is a dynamic opener that feeds well into the choral magnificence of "You Are the Lord," another one of Smith's own and another reason why he could be considered one of today's finest hymn writers. It's interesting how Smith also includes the Chris Tomlin-penned "The Wonderful Cross," an ethereal-sounding update of an old hymn, as well as the classic-sounding but little known "Ancient Words." The call-and-answer chorus of "I See You" is another highlight, as is the rocking "You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)." Smith's variations on the worship theme never sound stale. --Michael Lyttle  more