From the beginning, the Omartians wrote with specific performers in mind. “Because of the size and the grandeur of this project, Stormie and I had to make commitments as to the kind of styles we would write,” Michael explains. “It helped us to think in terms of a voice we knew would fit perfectly with the character.” Their dream list included a “whose who” list of artists from Pop, Broadway, Country, Contemporary Christian, and Gospel genres.
When we wrote “After All These Years,” we had Michael Crawford in mind,” Stormie says. “I had seen him in Phantom of the Opera both in New York and Los Angeles and thought he had the most pure and astounding voice I had ever heard, practically supernatural. it was a dream come true for me that he consented to sing it on the album.”
“We wrote ‘What My Eyes Have Seen’ envisioning Vince Gill playing Simeon,” Michael adds. “Again, that beautiful pure voice lent itself perfectly to the song and we were thrilled when he agreed to record it. The same is true with Russ Taff as Gabriel. We couldn’t imagine anyone else doing that part.”
One by one the artists on their dream list began to materialize. Steven Curtis Chapman as Joseph, Crystal Lewis as Mary, Howard Hewitt (Shalimar), Richard Marx, and David Pack (Ambrosia) bring the prophets Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah to life. Donna Summer sings the powerful “When the Dream Never Dies” as Elizabeth, which is the first single from the album. Amy Grant is the prophetess Anna.
Avalon’s Michael Passons and Jody McBrayer join Annointed’s Steve Crawford as the Three Wise Men, while Wayne Watson, Bob Carlisle, Gary Chapman, and Michael W. Smith play the shepherds with humor. Danny Gans does a terrifyingly accurate portrayal of the wicked King Herod.
