Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Here's the CCM star's return to pop albums after Smith's mega selling but for me disapointing live worship albums and I was hoping that it would knock me off my feet like some of his earlier pop material. No such luck! Generally 'Healing Rain' plods its pedestrian wet way through a collection of medium paced, perfectly crafted but ultimately dissatisfactory songs. Much of this is so throwaway that it blends itself into a morass of meandering soft pop musical blancmange. But it isn't all bad! The few highlights come from songs that he co-wrote with Martin Smith including the passionate opener "Here I Am" (the closest Michael comes to breaking into a sweat) and the pleading "Healing Rain" which rescue the album from the bin. There's also the beautiful lilting closing melody of the soaring worshipful "All I Want" which was also co-written with the other Smith. Elsewhere, it's a pedestrian disappointment as Michael W Smith hits autopilot and there's even a pointless cover version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

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