The Spirit Of Christmas

Michael W. Smith & Friends: The Spirit of Christmas, featuring an all-star lineup of guests - Vince Gill, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Amy Grant, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Nettles, Bono and Michael McDonald - is Smith's fourth Christmas project, following the successful releases of Michael W. Smith Christmas (1989), Christmastime (1998) and It's A Wonderful Christmas (2007).

"This is the most unique and unusual record I've ever done in my 31-year career. The entire record was sequenced together before we recorded one song," recalls Smith. "Sonically you're hearing me in a way that you've probably never heard me before. At one point it's like Smitty meets Bublé. There's my granddaughter's voice singing the song from 'Home Alone,' plus the whole orchestral and symphonic feeling of Christmas, mixed together with all these amazing voices and guests - yet it all fits together in a remarkable way."

Eager to create a one-of-a-kind project to be played at Christmastime for years to come, Smith and Deaton were inspired by the original Carpenters Christmas album, wanting nostalgia to hit listeners right at the top of the record. Thematically, the album is uniquely divided into three sections, creating an overall arc to the recording. Beginning with the childlike and wintery aspects of the start of the Christmas season, the collection evolves with songs and instrumentations reflecting the true meaning of Christmas with the celebration of family and faith, concluding with what Christmas brought to the world, the birth of Jesus.