Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Lenny Smith (View his homepage here)
I’m by no means an authority on the musicology of religious music, or any music for that matter. But I won’t wait around for an honorary degree from Union Theological Seminary to delve into a flighty dissection of the Welcome Wagon’s debut collection of cover songs and hymns, which, on closer inspection, begins to unravel an inspiring excursion through the landscape of the sacred and profane. I should know; I produced the album. And like many overly anxious producers, I’ve lately felt the motivation to impart my own brand of “rumors and ruminations” on some of the material I helped facilitate on this transcendental record. This sidebar post is meant as my own opinionated primer—a navigational brochure, per se—on the songs that appear on this new collection of “church music.” Happy journeys, godly listeners of the world!
Track 6: BUT FOR YOU WHO FEAR MY NAME
words and music: Lenny Smith
“But For You Who Hear My Name” brings it all back to the Smith clan in southern New Jersey, this time honoring the patriarch, the great liturgical songwriter Lenny Smith (most famous for his 1970s church hit “Our God Reigns,” which was rumored to have been one of Pope John Paul II’s favorite protestant hymns; it was often heard piped from the Pope-mobile!). “But For You…” might be a minor Lenny Smith work, comparatively, but it is certainly one of his best party jams. Our interpretation was to take a classic country song-and-dance routine and transform it into a gospel jamboree, toppling over with drunken trombones, handclaps, and a rambunctious choir. This catchy round captures all the scholarly whims typical of a great Lenny Smith song, homing in on the crux of spiritual joy (symbolized as calves jumping from their stalls) and besmirching spiritual piety for a healthy dose of nonchalance. It’s both casual and scholastic all rolled up in one party ball. (You can almost hear Lenny’s idiomatic refrain: “God in Heaven, we’re all doing the best we can. Relax!”)
Here’s Lenny’s festive original, from his 1995 release “Deep Calls to Deep.” (And we all love Brother Daniel’s harmonies on this one!):
Lenny Smith Version
We left the country vibe at the door and invited some good ol’ foot stomping/hand clapping to up the ante:
But For You Who Fear My Name
Filed under: music, thewelcomewagon
