Longtime Christian music fans need no introduction to Michael O'Brien or Morgan Cryar. Both are accomplished songwriters and singers (Michael also is known for his tenure in NewSong). I was not familiar with Brad Reynolds and Sean Smith...but read on for more on those guys.
You could say I was "up close and personal" with these four fellows, as my table was practically right in the round itself. So close, really, that I could have been taken for a participant, but fortunately for the guys and the crowd, I wasn't. :)
A large majority of the songs centered around marriage and family. But it wasn't all bliss. Sometimes marriages hit rocky roads, or divorce happens, or parenting becomes a challenge. Michael, Brad, Sean and Morgan showed the joys and the tough parts about being spouses and parents in their songs.
Michael, on keyboard, did many of the songs from his latest release, "Something About Us", a jazz-flavored collection focusing on his 18 year marriage which almost came to an end years ago. One of the most powerful performances of the evening came when he played "If Ever I Forget", noting that God delivered him from addictions years back.
Morgan played some of his newer material (we didn't hear "What Sin?", though, because he didn't have the guitar part worked out.) One of the standouts was "Broken Lilacs" co-written with Michigan songwriter Chuck White (who I met in the line to the door earlier in the evening). Morgan also brought up his 17 year old daughter Tilly to do one of her songs. Chuck had given me the buzz on her when we spoke, and he was correct...Tilly is a talented writer and singer already with a Norah Jones type vocal feel. Apples don't fall very far from the tree.
Brad Reynolds, who organized the round, is a fine guitarist who backed the other writers often in the set and a creative and clever songwriter, with "Jesus Is My Locksmith" and "Backwards World". He brought up a friend, Suzanne Carr, to sing a song originally pitched to JoDee Messina, "Starting Over". This one sounded like a hit for somebody to me.
If you've not heard of Sean Smith yet, I guarantee you that you will soon. This Cumming, GA artist is the whole package...great singer, excellent songwriter, humble heart. He was a heart-grabber, with songs like "A Lifetime's Worth", written for his wife, and "If Sierra Can Smile" about a child with leukemia. His album, "Real", is excellent--one of those you just know when you listen to it that you're hearing something special. Sean has already won a few independent artist awards for this album. I predict we'll see him on the stage of the Dove awards before long.
It was quite evident that all four of these artists had great respect for one another, and humility about the gifts that God has given them.
Following my instinct was a good thing. It turned out to be one of those "I'm so glad I moved here" evenings which further defined why I wanted to come to Nashville.
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