Personnel: Michael W. Smith (piano, Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, programming); Chris Graffignino (guitar); David Davidson (violin); Marie Breathnach (fiddle); Max Dyer, John Catchings (cello); Craig Young, Matt Pierson (bass); Chris Estes, Dan Needham, Eric Darken, Scott Williamson (drums); Byran Lenox (percussion, programming); Rod Schuler (scratches).
Recorded at Deer Valley Studios, Franklin, Tennessee; Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland; East Iris Studios, Nashville, Tennessee between May & September 2000.
A mostly-instrumental album by Christian hit-maker and two-time Grammy winner Michael W. Smith, FREEDOM seems intended as a soundtrack to a movie script that, as of yet, nobody has decided to shoot. It's a lush orchestral outpouring that betrays the influences of several contemporary film composers.
There are some quite lovely piano and string sequences, such as "The Giving," that sound like Randy Newman-style Americana, and Smith occasionally comes up with Celtic airs ("Hibernia") that recall James Horner's TITANIC score. Some of the concluding tracks such as "The Call" and "Free Man," however, are more rock oriented, with wordless choral vocals and drums, and with synths or electric guitars taking the melody lines; the latter is especially reminiscent of Mark Knopfler's scores for THE PRINCESS BRIDE and LOCAL HERO.
