Hymns II - Shine On Us

Hymns II - Shine On Us
Studio album by Michael W. Smith
Released	January 29, 2016[1]
Producer	Michael W. Smith, Kyle Lee, Jim Daneker
Michael W. Smith chronology
Sovereign (2014) Hymns II - Shine On Us (2014)

Hymns II - Shine On Us is a studio album by Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith. It was released exclusively at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store on January 29, 2016.^[2] This is Smith's second hymns album and second release with Cracker Barrel.^[3] In the US the album is also available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.^[4]

Critical reception

Hymns II - Shine On Us was met with positive reviews. Caitlin Lassiter of New Release Today rated the album with four stars out of five, stating that "With Hymns II: Shine On Us, Michael W. Smith once again proves why he's one of the greats in this industry as he takes timeless favorites and adds his unique touch--breathing incredible creative energy into them to make them feel revived."^[5] Matt Conner of CCM Magazine gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five.^[6] Gary Durban at Worship Leader gave the album four stars out of five.^[7]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 172 on Billboard 200^[8] and No. 3 on Billboard Top Christian Albums with approximately 4000 copies sold in its first week of release.^[9] This album marks Smith's 29th Top 10 albums.^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Down to the River to Pray"
2.	"I Need Thee"
3.	"Jesus, Only Jesus"
4.	"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"	Helen Howarth Lemmel
5.	"I'll Fly Away"	Albert E. Brumley
6.	"His Eye Is On The Sparrow"	Civilla D. Martin, Charles H. Gabriel
7.	"I Don't Know Why (Jesus Loves Me)"	Andrae Crouch
8.	"Shine On Us"	Michael W. Smith, Debbie Smith
9.	"Nearer My God to Thee"	Sarah Flower Adams
10.	"Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)"
11.	"I'd Rather Have Jesus"
12.	"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded"	Paul Gerhardt
13.	"Be Still My Soul"	Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, Jane Laurie Borthwick
14.	"Great Is The Lord"	Michael W. Smith, Debbie Smith
15.	"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"	Martin Luther
16.	"America the Beautiful (O Beautiful for Spacious Skies)"	Katharine Lee Bates, Samuel A. Ward

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[10]	172
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[11]	70
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[12]	3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13]	3

References

1. Longs, Herb. "Preview Michael W. Smith's "Hymns II - Shine On Us" Album". thechristianbeat.org. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
2. Landicho, John. "Michael W. Smith To Release New Album ‘Hymns II - Shine On Us’". breathecast.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
3. Greenhalgh, Andrew (December 1, 2015). "Michael W. Smith Partners with Cracker Barrel for Christmas Tour, New Album". soul-audio.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
4. "Hymns II: Shine on Us by Michael W. Smith on iTunes". Apple. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
5. Lassiter, Caitlin (January 30, 2016). "Hymns II: Shine On Us by Michael W. Smith". newreleasetoday.com. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
6. Conner, Matt (January 29, 2016). "Michael W. Smith – ‘Hymns II’ album review". CCM Magazine. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
7. Durban, Gary. Armstrong, Jeremy, ed. "Michael W. Smith: Hymns II: Shine on Us". Worship Leader. Vol. May/June 2016 (San Juan Capistrano, California: Chuck Fromm, PhD (Worship Leader Partnership)). p. 54. ISSN 1066-1247. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
8. "Dream Theater Debuts at 11 in the U.S.; Tedeschi Trucks Band at 15". vintagevinylnews.com. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
9. Asker, Jim. "Kirk Franklin No. 1 With Own Hit & 'Wow Gospel 2016' Compilation". Billboard. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
10. "Michael W. Smith – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Michael W. Smith. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
11. "Michael W. Smith – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
12. "Michael W. Smith – Chart history" Billboard Christian Albums for Michael W. Smith. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
13. "Michael W. Smith – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Michael W. Smith. Retrieved February 9, 2016.