Michael English - "The Prodigal Comes Home"

Some may be questioning why I'm reviewing a contemporary project on a southern gospel blog. I have two reasons. #1 - Michael English got his start as Mike English belting out songs for the Goodmans and the Singing Americans int he early 80's. Can't get much more SoGo than that! #2 - it's my blog, and I'll review it if I want to! Being a reputable source of information is important to me, but there are times where executive decision making takes a backseat to the fan boy.

As I have stated at least once before, I have been anticipating this project since I first heard the title track nearly two years ago on MySpace. The song was, from what I understand, to be included on Michael's Greatest Hits package when it was in its developing stages, but didn't make the final cut. I'm glad they decided to hold onto it, because it became the basis for this new project (as well as his autobiography - the only book I've ever read cover-to-cover in one setting).

To fully understand the significance of this project, one must backtrack about 15 years or so. In the early 90's, Michael English was THE hot item in Christian music. He had been spending several years working as the lead singer for the Gaither Vocal Band (at the height of their "inspirational" movement), and had recently recorded two very successful solo projects. His start was really starting to shoot upward, and in a matter of a few short years, he became one of the top draws in the industry with a full-production stage show and sell-out concert halls. It all came to a [rather ironic] peak in 1994 when Michael won several Dove Awards, including Artist of the Year, which broke Steven Curtis Chapman's long-time reign.

Anyone who has followed Christian music is familiar with what happened next. It almost goes without saying nowadays, and the details have been well documented, but in a nutshell, the bottom fell out following a MUCH publicized scandal (which I won't go into here). In the years that followed, Michael's life began to spiral out of control, culminating in several visits to rehab for painkiller addiction.

He had made an attempt as a "comeback" in 2000 with Heaven To Earth, but he admittedly was intoxicated during much of the recording sessions, and just as the project was being released, he was arrested on drug charges. Since then, while he hasn't released any material of his own (with the exception of his 2003 Christmas CD), he has definitely had his hand in gospel music as a producer and background vocalist (most notably working with former partner, Mark Lowry). His Greatest Hits collection, released in 2006, included his first new solo efforts in nearly 6 years. Perhaps this was Curb Records testing the waters to see how much appeal English would still have.

In the end, I feel that it was well worth the wait for this project. Michael English's first all-new solo project in 8 years definitely lives up to the expectations (and exceeds it). Considering the last time English really hit the gospel music scene full-blast was in 1992 with his Hope project (which heavily-reflected the early 90's synth-heavy pop sound), listeners will find this to be very relevant to today's market. Songs like "Sanctuary" and "A New Day" have a driving rock sound comparable to artists like Casting Crowns (not a huge surprise there, as the project was co-produced by Sawyer Brown's Mark Miller, who has worked closely with Casting Crowns as their producer). "Break Through" has a modern "FM Rock" feel to it with a 3/4 power ballad tempo, also an easy fit for modern CCM.

The moving ballads on this project are what really stand out, however. The lead off single, "The Only Thing Good In Me," is an interesting perspective on those in ministry who struggles just like everyone. "Feels Like Redemption," the "last-minute addition" to the project, is being pushed to Southern Gospel radio, and while I feel this is a wonderful song, it may have trouble on the more conservative stations because of it's contemporary feel. I doubt that this is a priority for Curb, but it is a nice idea to re-introduce Michael to the audience that originally gave him a home.

My favorite cuts on this project are (in no particular order) "Don't Think I'm Not Thankful," "Time," and "The Prodigal Son." "Don't Think I'm Not Thankful" sounds like a modern country song (and could probably be done just as easily by Keith Urban), and I wouldn't be surprised if Curb tries its hand at some country airplay with the song. "Time" is a stripped-down, restrained praise song, one that I would not be surprised to see a SG group cover. The title track, while a little different as far as chord structure, pretty much sums up the entire project (and English's life to this point). As I said, this was the first song I heard from this project, and it is what initially got me so interested in hearing the final product. It is also unique in that English's old bandmate (and current Rascal Flatts member) Jay DeMarcus helped in producing the track. Fans of Michael will remember Jay from his TV show on TBN.

The only song that doesn't quite seem to fit in the mix is "Have A Little Faith In Me." The liner notes have this listed as "A song for Marcie," English's wife. It's a touching tribute to the woman who has helped to keep his life straightened out, but from a commercial standpoint, kinda sticks out a bit. It's not the first time (and definitely won't be the last) that an artist has covered a song for a loved one (does anyone remember when Steven Curtis Chapman covered "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" on his All About Love project??).

What really stands out to me about this project is the production quality. In a day and age where CD's are mastered to be as loud (and compressed) as humanly possible, these tracks sound very clean and crisp. There is still a noticable amount of compression but it's not overdone. On a song like "Don't Think I'm Not Thankful," it could've easily been drowned out in the mastering process, but it comes across nicely. The heavy, driving songs push this a little further, but that's to be expected if they want to get some CCM airplay.

I truly believe that, if promoted properly, this could be the project that finally gives Michael English the [positive] attention he deserves within the industry. He is going on tour with Avalon to promote it, and a couple singles have already been sent to radio, so it has the makings of a great album.

P.S. - Here's a slight "I told you so" to David Bruce Murray....I went to Wal-Mart last night, about 10 minutes after midnight, and sure enough, sitting in the CD rack was.....yep, you guessed it!!

I was actually pleasantly surprised. I've done the "midnight shopper" deal several times at Wal-Mart (and Meijer and other 24-hour department stores) before, and was only successful once in 2002 with Freedom Band. Granted, Michael is on Curb Records, which has a very solid reputation for being represented in mainstream locations, but outside of the CCM world (so far), this album hasn't gotten a whole lot of attention. Regardless, I was perfectly happy to pick up a copy.

I will say that it seems one of the tracks have been replaced. "Walk On Some Water," which was listed on the original distribution sheet a few months back, is absent, and replaced with "Feels Like Redemption," which is now his first southern gospel single.

So, DBM....it kinda goes without saying, but I told you so, buddy!! :)