I'll Lead You Home
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| I'll Lead You Home | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | March–June 1995 | |||
| Genre | Contemporary Christian music | |||
| Length | 63:24 | |||
| Label | Reunion | |||
| Producer | Patrick Leonard | |||
| Michael W. Smith chronology | ||||
| ||||
I'll Lead You Home is a 1995 album by Michael W. Smith released by Reunion Records.
Sales and charts[edit]
The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 16, making it the highest-debuting Christian album in the history of the chart.[1][2] It also topped the 'Top Contemporary Christian' chart.[3] Released in August 1995, by December of that year it had sold over 51,500 copies in the Christian Bookstore market alone.[4]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The album received a four and a half out of five star review from Allmusic, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine commenting on the "gospel songs with glistening, immaculate pop production".[1] James Lloyd, reviewing the album for the Dayton Daily News considered it "his best work to date".[5]
The album won the 1996 Grammy Award in the 'Best Pop-Contemporary Gospel Album' category, giving Smith his second Grammy win.[6][7]
Tour[edit]
Smith toured in support of the album in 1996.[8] Support came from Lori and Micah Wilshire (who he subsequently signed to his Rocketown Records label), Three Crosses, and Jars of Clay.[8][9][10][11] Micah Wilshire had contributed backing vocals to the album.[9]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cry for Love" | Smith, Brent Bourgeois | 5:10 |
| 2. | "Breakdown" | Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick | 5:27 |
| 3. | "As It Is in Heaven" | traditional | 5:09 |
| 4. | "Straight to the Heart" | Smith, Bourgeois | 2:48 |
| 5. | "Someday" | Smith, Kirkpatrick | 3:52 |
| 6. | "I'll Be Around" | Smith, Bob Farrell | 4:44 |
| 7. | "I'll Lead You Home" | Smith, Kirkpatrick | 5:23 |
| 8. | "The Other Side of Me (Trilogy 1)" | Smith, Kirkpatrick | 4:23 |
| 9. | "Breathe in Me (Trilogy 2)" | Smith, Kirkpatrick | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Angels Unaware (Trilogy 3)" | Smith, Kirkpatrick | 4:56 |
| 11. | "Calling Heaven" | Smith, Kirkpatrick | 4:54 |
| 12. | "A Little Stronger Everyday" | Smith, Kirkpatrick | 4:43 |
| 13. | "Crown Him with Many Crowns" | traditional | 4:34 |
| 14. | "I'm Waiting for You" | Smith, David Mullen, Sam Mullins | 3:16 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Cry for Love (Rocketown Club Remix)" | Smith, Bourgeois | 4:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Breakdown (RrrrB Remix)" | 5:26 |
Personnel[edit]
Musicians
- Michael W. Smith – vocals, keyboards (1–7, 11–14), programming (4, 11), acoustic piano (8, 9, 10, 13)
- Patrick Leonard – keyboards (1, 2), drum programming (2), organ (5, 10, 12, 13), synthesizer programming (14)
- Dennis Patton – programming (2, 4, 7)
- Dann Huff – guitars (1–3, 5–7, 11–13)
- Bruce Gaitsch – acoustic guitar (5)
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar (5, 11, 14)
- Tommy Sims – bass (1, 3, 5–7, 11–13)
- Leland Sklar – bass (10, 14)
- Steve Brewster – drums (1, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13)
- Chris McHugh – drums (2)
- Marc Moreau – drum programming (6)
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (7)
- Brian MacLeod – drums (10, 11), additional programming (11)
- Luis Conte – percussion (1, 3, 5–7, 10–13)
- Jeremy Lubbock – orchestra arrangements and conductor (8, 9, 10)
- Brent Bourgeois – backing vocals (1, 4, 6)
- Tim Erwin – backing vocals (1)
- Molly Felder – backing vocals (1)
- Chris Rodriguez – backing vocals (1, 12)
- Susan Ashton – harmony vocals (5)
- Lisa Cochran – backing vocals (5, 11, 12)
- Reneé Garcia-Bliss – backing vocals (5)
- Micah Wilshire – backing vocals (5)
- Natalie Jackson – backing vocals (6, 10)
- Louis Johnson – backing vocals (6, 7, 10)
- Richard Page – backing vocals (6, 7, 10)
- Whitney Smith – guest vocal (10)
- Gardner Cole – backing vocals (11)
- Chris Harris – backing vocals (12)
- Anointed (Nee-C Walls, Steve Crawford, Da'dra Crawford and Mary Tiller) – featured vocals (13)
- Bob Bailey – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Kim Fleming – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Vicki Hampton – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Chris Harris – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Donna McElroy – vocal coordinator, choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Michael Mellett – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Nicole C. Mullen – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Angelo and Veronica Petrucci – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Chris Rodriguez – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
- Micah Wilshire – choir (3, 7, 12, 13)
Production[edit]
- Patrick Leonard – producer
- Michael W. Smith – executive producer
- Michael Blanton – executive producer
- Don Donahue – A&R
- Keith Compton – engineer
- Craig Hansen – engineer, mixing (1, 4)
- Jerry Jordan – engineer, mixing (11, 14)
- Bryan Lenox – engineer
- Marc Moreau – engineer
- David Thoener – mixing (2, 3, 5–10)
- Bill Deaton – mixing (12, 13)
- Rob Burrell – second engineer
- Dave Dillbeck – second engineer
- David Faulkner – second engineer
- Mike Janas – second engineer
- Patrick Kelly – second engineer
- Scott Lenox – second engineer
- Al Lay – second engineer
- Paula Montondo – second engineer
- Greg Parker – second engineer
- Dennis Patton – second engineer
- Krish Sharma – second engineer
- Darren Smith – second engineer
- J.T. Thomas – second engineer
- Jason Wilder – second engineer
- Jeff Wright – second engineer
- Caribou Ranch (Nederland, Colorado) – recording studio
- Johnny Yuma (Burbank, California) – recording studio
- A&M Studios (Los Angeles, California) – recording studio
- The Sound Kitchen (Franklin, Tennessee) – recording studio
- Deer Valley (Franklin, Tennessee) – recording studio
- The Castle (Franklin, Tennessee) – recording studio
- Studio at Mole End (Franklin, Tennessee) – recording studio
- Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee) – recording studio
- Sixteenth Avenue Sound (Nashville, Tennessee) – recording studio
- Gambit Studio (Gallatin, Tennessee) – recording studio
- Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (North Hollywood, California)
- Pat Dorn – production coordinator
- Derek Jones – production coordinator
- Sandra Tomes – production coordinator
- Rob Birkhead – art direction
- Buddy Jackson – design, for Jackson Design
- Karrine Caulkins – design, for Jackson Design
- Diana Lussenden – creative assistant
- Timothy White – cover photography
- Ben Pearson – tray card photo, inside photos
- Russ Harrington – inside photos
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[12] | 16 |
| US Christian Albums (Billboard)[13] | 1 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas "I'll Lead You Home Review", AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2013
- ^ Hardy, Lawrence (1995) "Box Office", USA Today, September 5, 1995, p. 1D
- ^ "Billboard Albums", AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2013
- ^ Evans Price, Deborah (1995) "Higher Ground: From SoundScan to Christian Label Acquisitions, it was a Notable Year", Billboard, December 23, 1995, p. 55. Retrieved November 2, 2013
- ^ Lloyd, James (1995) "Recordings on Review: Michael W. Smith I'll Lead You Home", Dayton Daily News, September 1, 1995, p. 17
- ^ "God Gets Credit for Guiding Top Artist", Worcester Telegram and Gazette, April 18, 1996
- ^ "Michael W. Smith among Grammy winners in gospel categories", Dallas Morning News, March 2, 1996
- ^ a b "Opening Acts, Smith Perfectly Paired", The Pantagraph, February 24, 1996
- ^ a b Evans Price, Deborah (1998) "Christian Duo Wilshire Finds a Label Home in Smith's Rocketown", Billboard, January 31, 1998, p. 16
- ^ Powell, Mark Allen (2002) Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, Hendrickson Publishers, ISBN 978-1565636798, p. 1044
- ^ Jensen, Katherine (1996) "Michael W. Smith gives a great concert in Ames", Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 7, 1996, p. 6
- ^ "Michael W. Smith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ "Michael W. Smith Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
