| I'll Lead You Home | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 | ||||
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I'll Lead You Home is a 1995 album by Michael W. Smith released by Reunion Records.
Sales and charts
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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| Allmusic | |
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
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
| 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
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
- 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
| Chart (1995) | Peak position  | 
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[12] | 16 | 
| US Christian Albums (Billboard)[13] | 1 | 
References
- 1 2 3 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
 - 1 2 "Opening Acts, Smith Perfectly Paired", The Pantagraph, February 24, 1996
 - 1 2 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.
 
