Reviewed by Joy Attmore

Michael W Smith is no stranger to music making having a career which spans over nearly four decades, and is accompanied by a slew of awards to prove his excellence. Recorded in November of 2017, 'Surrounded' was created as a declaration of unity over the Church on the back end of an extremely divisive political season. Every song recorded on this album was originally created by other worship leaders from across the Church. When talking about this project Smith said, "I feel God moving through his Church and he is calling us together to be one voice and one heart - one bride, every nation, every tribe and every tongue, every social class, every denomination." This desire and vision for unity can be felt throughout 'Surrounded' and gives the album a completely different feel from simply a compilation of covered worship songs. Smith's writing skills do feature in several of the tracks however including "Light To You" whose melody will have you singing along to the simple lyrics within seconds. The title track (otherwise known as "Fight My Battles") is a standout moment for sure. Originally birthed from a spontaneous time of worship led by Elyssa Smith, "Surrounded" took on an edgy and anthemic sound once Smith got his hands on it. This actually speaks to the overall sound and theme of the album as not one track will have you passively sitting down. This is a live worship set that will have you engaged and revived from start to finish.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.