Darrell Smith

Working again with Ross King for his third studio album, Pocket of Light, Darrell Smith gets help from former Audio Adrenaline guitarist Barry Blair and Dove Award Nominee Ayiesha Woods. Each CD Darrell comes out with is better than the one before and this one is his best to date. Everything from the artwork to the beautifully crafted songs is, well, professional. From the catchy upbeat opening song Feed Your Fire, to the more reflective songs Smith shows wisdom, grace and courage in his songwriting. Even the vocals are stronger than previous albums.

As I listened to the album I was reminded of the more reflective side of the band Something Like Silas. Don't be mistaken, Darrell's music is worship music, but if you are looking for Christian clichés and niceties repeated over and over you won't find any in Darrell's music. However, if you are looking for honest songs about the life of faith, Darrell's music will not disappoint. If you liked Darrell's other offerings you will love this one. If you have no idea who Darrell is, or what his ministry is all about, check him out at DarrellSmithMusic.com . You will be glad you did!

As in the past, all proceeds from the project go to helping ministries, however now he has created a new ministry called Chapter Three Ministries which goal is to support churches, charities, community events and ministry groups through evangelism, prayer support, worship leadership and instruction, resource and leadership development and worship/performance events. It is refreshing in this day and age to discover an artist who is about discovering ways to serve his King.

Darrell's heart is in the right place and his music moves the listener closer to God. It is challenging lyrically dealing with topics such as faith, weariness, relationships, ministry in the margins and being accepted by a God who loves us so much that He never lets us go. To get the full impact of this worship project one must listen not only with ears, but also with heart and mind. Thank you Darrell for a strong third offering in your musical journey. May God truly bless it and may His will be done
- Originally posted to www.umsource.net 9/8/07

Darrell Smith maybe better known in the area around San Antonio, Texas, at the moment, but don’t be surprised if fans of contemporary Christian music begin to hear his name on a more national scale soon. Smith’s newest project, “Pocket of Light”, will be released on Friday, September 15. If you are in the San Antonio area and want to be a part of this event, check out the website of the host church, Riverside Community at www.theriversidecommunity.com for directions and times.

The overall vibe of the CD is influenced by worship artists like Chris Tomlin as Smith has been leading worship at a local congregation for the past eleven years. . Smith has written all the songs that appear on this volume. He gets a little help on a couple of the tracks from Ayiesha Woods who has made quite a splash in the CCM world in the last two years. While many of the songs sounds similar, there is enough variety to make the entire project easy to listen to and the depth of writing makes it worthy of many repeat playbacks.

• Feed Your Fire - Expresses in words what many worship leaders feel, namely the pressure to feed other believers in order that they continue to grow. The chorus will get you hooked and you’ll find yourself singing this throughout the day.

• Closer to You – Examines the work that it takes for a marriage to survive in a culture that is increasingly hostile toward the traditional view of marriage. The tune is familiar but the words give us a transparent look into the lives of a husband and wife.

• Pocket of Light – The title song features guest vocals by Ayiesha Woods and a haunting melody on the piano. The song deals with the all-to-familiar theme of missing people who need to hear the gospel in our often too busy lives.

• Shame on Me – This song has a slightly country feel to it with the guitar and harmonica features. Smith tries to answer the question of how the “outside” world views a life of faith and grace through the lives of average believers. It’s a refreshing approach and should make the hearer think about their own projections.

• All I Have – A melodious offering that reveals the fallacy of thinking that we are in control of our lives and the real need to give it all to God in order to find rest for our souls.

• Love Like You – Smith offers a tribute to his grandmother’s life and illustrates the important principle that our lives may be the first and only Bible people outside the church ever read. It might remind the older listeners of a Rich Mullins effort in that the melody moves along the story line. It’s a little slow, but sometimes slow is powerful!

• More of You – Don’t get too caught up in the melody on this song. It sounds like a few others you might mistake it for, but the message is definitely different. It calls us to take a look at the sorrow in our lives as a place where we need the Lord to take us into to show us our need for more of Him.

• Shouting At Whispers – This song points out our tendency to want God to speak to us in shouts and glorious displays of His majesty instead of being satisfied to hear His whispers. Again the melody sounds a little familiar, but overall it’s a good message to hear again.

• Start Over Again – An upbeat commentary on the rat race that runs so many lives, even among the church. The almost southern rock feel betrays the meaning found in the lyrics. Pay attention to the words or you’ll get lost.

• Have Been Claimed – This song may be the one that sticks with you the most. The tune moves you along and the words strike a cord in the life of the believer that we have been claimed and that is what should define our lives.

• Pearl of Poison – Lyrically this song is tough to figure out without the liner notes. It’s almost like the writer should have added a little more to let the listener in on his thoughts. Once you read the note, you’ll get the message of the song.

• Take It Away – The last song features background vocals by Woods again and is a humorous rendition of the overuse of all those sayings to say someone is stupid without actually calling them stupid. It reminds the listener not to take themselves too seriously. After all, God can take away all the mistakes and dumb things that everyone occasionally does.

The CD is available from Darrell Smith directly or can be downloaded from iTunes or from Darrell’s MySpace page. For more information on how to secure this new CD from a talented singer and songwriter, visit Chapter Three Ministries at www.chapter3ministries.org.
- Originally posted Sep 13, 2007 at http://christianmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/pocket_of_light_rev

This fall, I’m in a Bible study group with 5 other lovely ladies. We are doing “A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place”, because we love us some Beth Moore and the way she makes the scriptures come alive.

Anyway, this week has been our first week of the study and here’s what I read today. Beth is talking about God calling Abram to leave his home (Genesis 12:1) and begin a new chapter in his life. She says, “Have you ever noticed that God often requires us to leave our comfort zones to answer our calling? That through which God hones us is rarely within the parameters of the familiar. No amount of comfort is worth missing the greatest adventure humankind can experience”.

These words spoke to me in ways that I can’t even properly convey. Let’s just say they hit me deep in my soul and put a lot of things that have happened in my life in the past year in perspective. If, as Christians, we’re constantly comfortable and familiar, what would cause us to strive for more? To see what else God may have in store?

P and I have also watched a friend of ours be pushed out of his comfort zone over the last few years as God has called him to new challenges and led him to leave what is familiar for what is better. His name is Darrell Smith and he’s just released a new CD called “Pocket of Light”.

I’ve worshipped in many different settings and been led by many different worship leaders. Truly, I have been blessed to worship with some incredibly talented people that have such a heart for what worship is supposed to be. Darrell is one of those people.

He truly has a heart for making Christ the center and focus of every aspect of worship. Yes, the music is great, but the heart behind it is what makes it special.

When I got my copy of “Pocket of Light” about 2 weeks ago, I immediately put it in the CD player in my car and it’s been there ever since. Darrell wrote all 12 songs and the lyrics are incredible, honest, and raw. They speak to my frailty as a Christian and my desire to serve God better and know Him more.

The title song, “Pocket of Light” (which also features the incredible vocals of Ayiesha Woods) talks about how indifferent we can be to those around us who may be crying out, seeking the hope that we have found.

“Could you take the time to talk to me?
I’ll trade your gossip for some Gospel
but you’ll have to see and
Reach me.
Feel me.
Help me to grasp all that can be.
Teach me to see what He sees in me.
Won’t you please just stop and see?
Reach me”

Powerful, convicting stuff.

And my personal favorite song, in case y’all were wondering, is “Feed Your Fire”. It’s about the dangers of looking to others to build our faith, instead of focusing on God and feeding ourselves. Awesome lyrics and it’s got a great sound that causes Caroline to do a little carseat dancing. In fact, anytime we get in the car she tells me to “put on that good song, Mama!”

The girl has got to get her groove on.

This is just an awesome CD. It’s about real life. It’s about the struggles and joys we all face everyday. Darrell has this quote by Dallas Willard on his homepage, “the only thing we have to offer God at the end of our lives, is who we have become”. This music is about that journey.

If y’all want to listen to more, then head over to Darrell Smith Music. You can listen to clips of the songs and if you like what you hear, you can download them there or on iTunes. Plus, you can read more about Darrell and his ministry. It will inspire you.

For you low-tech folks, you can just order the CD at Independent Bands.
- Originally posted on September 18, 2007 at www.bigmama1.com