Eight years ago Michael W. Smith launched his own little label, Rocketown Records. An unassuming youth minister with a guitar was his flagship artist. Though sharp-eyed readers of liner notes may have heard of him before, most of us had no idea what Chris Rice would have in store for us over the coming years. "Deep Enough To Dream" gave us our first glimpse - a simple, poignant, poetic song that instantly captured the imaginations of Christian music listeners everywhere. We were hooked; lucky for us, Rice had many more stories and songs to tell.

Short Term Memories sums up the previous eight years for us. Seventeen songs are packed in, ranging from "Smellin' Coffee" to the now-classic "Welcome To Our World" (his version remains the definitive one), to his most recent hit, "Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)." Live versions of "Clumsy" and "Cartoons" will be welcomed by his fans who have had trouble figuring out that "Cartoons" can be found on A Night In Rocketown. New material includes his personal version of "Go Light Your World," a song Kathy Troccoli made famous, and "Mama Prays" - a simple but touching tribute to the unsurpassed love of a parent.

Short Term Memories stands as an excellent collection of some of the best songs to have graced the airwaves over the past decade. Chris Rice remains a treasure - because of his talent as an artist but also because of the way he approaches his art and refuses to be consumed by the business that sells it. If you're not yet a fan of Rice, Short Term Memories is an excellent way to be introduced.