Something to Say

by Matthew West

Overview

One of the biggest dilemmas a session songwriter like Matthew West faces is whether to make a solo career be the extension of his day job, or to do something altogether different the moment he chooses to step in front of the microphone. As a hitmaker for the likes of Mandisa, Natalie Grant, Point of Grace, and the occasional country act, West excels at penning melodic, serviceable pop anthems that get neatly wrapped up in just under four minutes. Incidentally, he's not too dissimilar to his role as a songster -- it's hard to distinguish whether some of his songs are leftovers from previous writing sessions or if they're an outpouring of where he stands as a stand-alone artist. In theory, West should have a lot to say on Something to Say, his third solo effort: he recorded it in the wake of a bout with vocal cord polyps, the same malady that once nearly sidelined Whitney Houston for good. Lamentably, nothing about this ordeal was chronicled on this album, whose press materials go to great lengths to describe. Instead, Something to Say is likable but ultimately impersonal Christian pop, large on indelible melodies, soaring hooks, and a pop/rock sound already championed by CCM peers Steven Curtis Chapman, Mark Schultz, and Chris Tomlin. West does have a distinctive half-rapped, half-sung vocal style in the more upbeat tunes, and "Life Inside You" and "Moment of Truth" are gutsy slices of real-life pop. Outside of that, Something to Say merely goes through the motions, only occasionally surpassing the best West has contributed to his own clientele over the years. ~ Andree Farias

Product Details

Release Date:	01/15/2008
Label:	Sparrow Records
UPC:	0094638452027

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Something to Say
3. The Motions
4. You Are Everything
5. The Center
6. Save a Place for Me
7. Life Inside You
8. Safe and Sound
9. The Moment of Truth
10. A Friend in the World
11. All the Broken Pieces
12. Stop the World

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Matthew West   Primary Artist,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Mandisa   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Amy Grant   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Mike Payne   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
George Cocchini   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Terry White   Vocals (Background)
Cary Barlowe   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Tony Lucido   Bass
Eric Darken   Percussion
Eric McPherson   Guitar (Electric)
Jerry McPherson   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Michelle Swift   Vocals (Background)
Matt Pierson   Bass
Tim Lauer   Piano,Keyboards,Organ (Hammond)
Dan Needham   Drums
Christopher Stevens   Keyboards,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Ben Shive   Keyboards
David Davidson   Strings
Ed Cash   Piano,Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
John Catchings   Cello,Strings
Will Sayles   Drums
Paul Moak   Guitar (Electric)
Sam Mizell   Keyboards
Rob Hawkins   Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Brown Bannister   Engineer,Producer
Brad O'Donnell   A&R
Kevin Powell   Assistant Engineer
Jason Houser   Composer
Bobby Shin   Engineer
Jan Cook   Art Direction
Aaron Sternke   Digital Editing
Bill Whittington   Engineer,Digital Editing
Clark Hook   Design
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Steve Bishir   Engineer
Tim Lauer   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Jesse Chambers   A&R
Christopher Stevens   Producer,Programming
F. Reid Shippen   Mixing
Ed Cash   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Sam Mizell   Composer,Producer,Programming,Associate Producer
Matthew West   Composer