Martin Smith is a singer and songwriter of rare ability and passion. His mixture of skill and integrity has wowed audiences inside and outside the walls of the Church since his days as a young guy with big dreams in the early 1990s. Back then, Martin spent his time writing and singing songs about the realities of life and faith which travelled the world, some of which became some of the modern Church’s most popular calls to arms (Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble, I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever, Thank You For Saving Me). Today there are new songs, new audiences to be wowed, but the passion, the desire for connection and transformation burns stronger than ever. Blessed with the kind of voice that people recognise having heard it a mere handful of times, Martin is finding more and more what it means to be him and the results, in terms of new songs of love and loss, doubt and hope, are shot through with a cascading and coursing reality and power.
Martin's new band, Army of Bones, as well as readying a storming debut album, are developing a reputation for being equally as adept at bringing hope to sweat-filled clubs as they are as his team in stadium events full of abandoned praise and, perhaps most potent and impressive of all, Martin has managed, somehow, to maintain the fire, the intensity, of hope and love which fuelled him more than 20 years ago. The greatest testimony to this is not just the songs and the powerful impact they continue to have, it is that he continues to live the story of honest faith and love himself. Martin still has huge dreams. He wants what he’s always wanted, to let people know that God is nearer than they think and that that same God wants to continue the dance of love with them. Whether it’s in the anticipation of ‘Waiting Here For You’, or precious moments lost in the wonder of celebrating the ‘Fire That Never Sleeps’, one thing is clear, the flame still burns and it is drawing Martin on into that dance, himself.
Whether it’s in the river, in the streets, a dimly lit town centre pub, in the workplace or in a sports stadium full of worshippers, Martin Smith and his songs carry the same power they always have, and then some. That power invites us, his listeners to dance, and then to dance some more. Are you in?