After his twentieth album, A New Hallelujah, Contemporary Christian music legend, Michael W. Smith, is back in the saddle nearly four years since his last full-length, original project (Stand). His latest release, Wonder, is an another ambitious project which combines pop, adult contemporary, and worship in classic Michael W. Smith fashion.

The album is very impressive sonically as Smith capitalizes on state of the art technology to make Wonder sound as cutting edge as possible. This is evident on the album opener, “Save Me From Myself,” which is an effective pop/rock tune with a infectious chorus. Smitty’s vocals carry the album on multiple points on throughout it, including “Take My Breath Away.” The melody features sound hooks and pleasant piano moments that lift the well-paced pop song to be a highlight. On “Run To You,” Smith also uses his voice to make the laid-back adult contemporary track a solid, light rock tune. “I’ll Wait For You” has a southern tone to it, and is a bit too dry for the first two-thirds of the song. Although the unexpected choir livens up the song towards the end, the inspirational pick-up feels too detached from the first piece of the song.

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