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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Vince Gill, Amy Grant announced holiday tour

Friday, September 26, 2008 – Vince Gill and Amy Grant will embark on a 16-date Christmas With Amy & Vince Tour Dec. 4, in Manchester, N.H. and bring it home Dec. 22 and 23 with two shows in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium.

"The job of spreading Christmas cheer has simply gotten too big for Santa and Rudolph to do alone," Gill joked. "So Amy and I are pitching in. Besides, these holiday tours have become our favorites."

"Christmas audiences are special," said Grant. "They tend to involve the whole family, and their emotions are a wonderful mix of anticipation and reverence. It's a thrilling experience for both of us."

In their two hour program of cherished standards and newer seasonal fare, the Grammy-winning husband-and-wife team will be backed by a 12-piece band that features a horn section and 2 harmony singers, including Gill's daughter, Jenny. "Some of our earlier Christmas tours were with a symphony orchestra," Gill said. "This time, though, we wanted to create more of an intimate, living room feel." Plans are underway to work with local charities in order to give back to these communities.

On Sept. 30, Grant will release her first new Christmas album in nine years. Called "The Christmas Collection," it is made up of selections from her three earlier Christmas CDs plus four new tunes, including "Baby It's Christmas," a song Grant and Gill wrote together. Grant will tape on Nov. 11 an NBC-TV special, Holiday Celebration On Ice. It co-stars Michael W. Smith and skating champions and will air Nov. 30.

Dates are:
Dec. 4 Manchester, NH/Verizon Wireless Arena
Dec. 5 Augusta, ME/Augusta Civic Center
Dec. 6 West Point, NY/Eisenhower Hall Theatre
Dec. 7 Mashantucket, CT/MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods
Dec. 10 Baltimore, MD/Lyric Opera House
Dec. 11 Albany, NY/Times Union Center
Dec. 12 Worcester, MA/DCU Center
Dec. 13 Elmira, NY/First Arena
Dec. 15 Atlanta, GA/Fox Theatre
Dec. 16 Charlotte, NC/Ovens Auditorium
Dec. 18 Grand Rapids, MI/Van Andel Arena
Dec. 19 St. Louis, MO/Scottrade Center
Dec. 20 Bloomington, IL/US Cellular Colliseum
Dec. 22-23 Nashville, TN/Ryman Auditorium


Christian Music News Source

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Review: Amy Grant relaxes Orpheum audience

The Orpheum Theatre became Amy Grant's living room Friday night.

Drawing in the crowd with a laid-back approach to hits, misses and some that weren't even fully written, she seemed like an old friend, reminiscing about the past and hoping for the future.

Indeed, Friday's concert -- done to benefit Girls Inc. -- was her first in months. It had a few rocky moments (even she admitted as much) but so much heart the audience couldn't help but love her. Grant, in fact, preceded just about every song with a story -- some funny, most telling, all touching. She didn't shy away from her past, either. She talked about first husband Gary Chapman and admitted his father was the inspiration for many good lines -- including "threaten me with heaven."

She said daughter Millie was the inspiration behind "Baby Baby" and told how she planted fruit trees on a family farm that never seemed to bear fruit while she lived there. When she revisited in recent years, those trees were blooming. The song that resulted, "Better Not to Know," captured Grant's current state of mind.

Indeed, Friday's performance was ripe with new songs -- including one that she had worked on earlier in the day. When it came to the second verse of "Find What They're Looking For," she simply vamped and said it would have something to do with her children. That laid-back approach said plenty about Grant's current state of mind. If she hasn't thought of a title for the next CD, she might think about "Revelations." At 47, she's deeper than ever and filled with introspection.

Interestingly, some of the old stuff had falsetto parts that now sound a bit like a yodel. Grant still hits the notes (in a self-critique, said the audience would probably say she was a "little rusty") but there's a soulfulness that wasn't present before. Even "Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet" had a different resonance.

Grant joked with the audience -- even offering someone in the front row some of her potato chips -- and forgot to plug in her guitar so often the crowd took to reminding her.

Like husband Vince Gill, she's the kind of person who makes those around her feel comfortable immediately. She started the show with an acoustic number (how many performers do that?) and wasn't afraid to start over a couple of times when she didn't get the chords right.

She offered up a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" and sounded like Bonnie Raitt often enough to suggest where her career is headed.

Still, nothing beat those contemporary Christian numbers that made her a star. When Grant performed them, it felt like she was home and we were invited in with her.

Christian Music News Source

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Amy Grant - A Christmas To Remember

By charlie bear "Music Maven" (Big Sky Country)
Amy's third Christmas CD (the 4th if you count the "Animals Christmas" collaboration with Art Garfunkel) is by far the weakest of the batch.
There's little of the festive frolic or energy of the earlier releases and in fact Amy's vocal performance sounds just plain tired and melancholy on many of these songs.
The project starts off with a pretty good bang with the title song and then it's all downhill from there.
>The bonus track of "Merry Christmas Darling" is not on this version but it's no great loss. Amy's take on the Carpenters classic contains little of the sparkle or passion of the original.

By James Donovan "movie lover" (Plainfield, Vermont USA)
To me, Christmas isn't Christmas without an Amy Grant CD being played. I wait impatiently for the holiday season to roll around so I can dig her holidays CDs out and play them incessantly. My favorite of hers is the now classic "Home For Christmas" which should be in every Christmas lover's CD collection. I place this offering, her third, right behind that one and before her first one, "The Christmas Album."(Which hasn't aged well). Heresy, you say? Not really. Granted, she doesn't really offer much here as a songwriter, but she still has an amazing gift for making a song her own. Her voice and delivery bring out so much emotion and is well suited to this, for the most part, well-chosen collection. There really isn't a bad track here, though as a few people have noted, the addition of "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Mr. Santa" stand out in a less than flattering way. They're not terrible, but they don't really belong here among such serious and thematic songs; they're more suited to a children's album. The best songs on the album are surprisingly the more melancoly and reflective ones, such as "Till The Season Comes Round Again" and "Christmas Lullaby (I Will Lead You Home)", which is my favorite off the album and never fails to tear me up! Her use of choir and strings on "Silent Night" give it an almost ethereal feeling and "Welcome To Our World" is simply stunning. If there's a downside to this album, it's simply that it's too short, clocking in just shy of 40 minutes. I highly recommend this often overlooked album by one of the best vocalists around. Merry Christmas!!...

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Amy Grant - Behind The Eyes

When Behind the Eyes came out in 1997, Amy Grant had been recording for 20 years. And it was obvious that she still had a lot left to say. In contrast to the high-tech slickness that characterized some of her previous A&M efforts, the earthy Eyes finds Grant playing a lot of jangly acoustic guitar and bringing a folk appeal to her pop-rock. Most of the writing is excellent, and Grant offers some of the most meaningful, insightful songs of her career. "Nobody Home" describes the economic hardship that has ravaged a small town, while the country-influenced "Curious Thing" examines the ways in which a person's life can change radically. "Turn This World Around," "Takes a Little Time" and "Somewhere Down the Road" offer a message of hope and optimism without being Pollyanna-ish -- Grant acknowledges that life is hard and difficult, but insists that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Both musically and lyrically, Behind the Eyes is one of Grant's best albums ever. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

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Amy Grant - House of Love

By Josh Andrews (El Paso, TX USA)
This is the third Amy Grant CD that I own (the other two is her 1991 release Heart In Motion and her 1992 Christmas release Home For Christmas). With the ingredient of Pop, House Of Love produces simple, yet irresistible Pop songs.

The highlights of House of Love are:

"Lucky One" - A semi-upbeat, yet beautiful ballad. (5/5)

"Say You'll Be Mine" - A more upbeat, beautiful, fun love ballad. (5/5)

"House Of Love" - A beautiful duet between Amy and husband Vince Gill. (5/5)

"Whatever It Takes" - A beautiful ballad of devotion, but softer and more serious than "Say You'll Be Mine" and "Lucky One". (5/5)

"Big Yellow Taxi" - Not a favorite of mine, but it's a nice, fun cover of the original song. (4/5)

Even though this may seem to be a Pop album, "Children of the World" shows that she hasn't departed from her Christian roots.

I recommend House of Love to any fan of Amy Grant or any lover of fun, beautiful ballads, and social awareness songs. I wish Amy would release more Pop albums.. she does a good job of not going overboard and her songs are nice to listen to at any time in any mood.

By Tim Drake "Author and Journalist" (Saint Joseph, Minnesota)
Listening to this album by Grant you can't help but wonder if she wasn't singing quite a bit about her troubled relationship with husband Gary Chapman. (The two divorced in 1999).

Still, it's a solid album with a couple of great songs, a beautiful pro-life melody, and the pop hits that listeners have come to expect from Amy.

I could listen to the guitar on "Big Yellow Taxi" over and over and never tire of it. It's my favorite song on the album.

In "Children of the World" Amy gets some help from a children's choir. The refrain carries a hopeful message. It's nice to see that Amy hasn't departed from Christian themes altogether.

"For the children of the world Every single little boy and girl Heaven plants a special seed And we must have faith for these Red and yellow, black and white They are precious in the Father's eyes Like the Father may we see That they have a destiny And give them the light of love to lead" ....

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Amy Grant - Home For Christmas

Amy Grant's Home for Christmas showcases her mellifluent vocal chops in a variety of settings and succeeds mightily. There's a sophisticated touch of Streisand in Grant's clear and bright timbre, but there's also a young tenderness and innocence there, as well, that captures peoples' hearts. Grant puts a batch of standards, more recent works by Carly Simon and David Foster, and her own songs through big but tasty orchestral swells, rock & roll reveries, acoustic pieces, and mild pop surroundings. Most surprising are Grant's two contributions (cowritten with Chris Eaton and Robert Marshal, respectively,) "Breath of Heaven/Mary's Song" and the powerful and humbling "Emmanuel, God with Us." Exquisitely produced and arranged, Home for Christmas is a highly rewarding mainstream Christmas masterpiece without flaw or pretense. --Martin Keller

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Amy Grant - Heart In Motion

Heart in Motion is the 1991 album that broke Amy Grant into the mainstream pop-music charts, yielding five top 20 singles and two No. 1 hits ("Baby Baby" and "Every Heartbeat"). But while the release is filled with upbeat beboppin' singles, it also displays a more serious side and a depth of songwriting ability from Christian music's first lady. The urgent "Ask Me" introduces you to a sexually abused girl who miraculously grips tightly to her faith while struggling through a difficult history, while "I Will Remember You" and "How Can We See That Far" are haunting ballads dripping with echo-laden guitars. Indeed, Grant showcases a wide variety of sounds and flavors on this, her multiplatinum introduction to the secular music world. --Michael Lyttle

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You have to admire Amy Grant. She has always resisted the temptation to exactly fulfill the expectations of a Christian music market which tends to prefer the safe, the jargonistic, and the predictable. Rather, she has continually pushed the boundaries of Christian artistry outward. In that regard her 12th album, Heart in Motion, does not disappoint.

Lets get right to the first question: Is this a Christian album? The immediate answer is no, it is not a contemporary gospel album. But if you ask if the lyrics express Christian values and whether its clear from listening to the album that Amy Grant believes in Jesus Christ (rather than in a capitalized pronoun), the answer is clearly yes.

There is no question, however, that this album was made with the mainstream pop market in mind. The first six cuts in particular sport memorable hooks and polished, radio-ready production. Brown Bannister, who produced all of Grants previous albums, is back again on four of the songs, but big time L.A. producer Michael Omartian was brought in for five others and rising star Keith Thomas for two.

In fact, it is the two Thomas productions which lead off the album "Good for Me" and "Baby Baby" (the latter dedicated, Grant says in the liner notes, "to Millie, whose six-week-old face was my inspiration"). These two sings, in which only Jerry McPherson's guitars augment Thomas synths, sound big and bright rather than brittle and mechanized. Next comes the rollicking "Every Heartbeat," produced by Bannister, which features the killer drum/bass duo if Chris McHugh and Tommy Sims with McPherson again on guitar and Charlie Peacock on keyboards, all backed by fun 50's style bgvs. (Peacock, who co-wrote the song with Grant and Wayne Kirkpatrick, also contributed to the horn arrangements.) What follows is the Big Ballad, and Omartian-produced masterpiece called "That's What Love is For" which has "hit" written all over it....

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Amy Grant - Lead Me On

By Michael Janke (Placentia, CA)
Amy Grant had always been considered a good songwriter and had written much of the material on her previous records. But on Lead Me On Amy absolutely bared her soul. Her songs reflected an honesty and transparency that she'd never shown before and some of the tracks were almost embarrassingly stark and real. Catchy hooks were replaced with real life human struggles, heartaches and joy. This was an Amy Grant the world had never seen before. She was still the princess of Christian music but all of a sudden she had all of the human rough edges and angles that her audience had. It was a striking unveiling.

Opening the record is "1974," a poetic and beautiful retelling of the story of one's salvation. "Lead Me On," which continues the poetic use of imagery, is another in a long line of Amy's songs which have reached classic status. "Shadows" speaks of the struggle between our humanity and the Christ-life inside of us; a theme that is continued in "Faithless Heart." "What About the Love" stands as a powerful reminder that it is our love by which we should be known, lest we discover what it really means "to be crucified and judged, without love."

One of the CD bonus songs was actually one of the album's best tracks: "Wait For the Healing." Containing a unique violin accompaniment, it reflects on the 60's generation that went through so much turbulence. The second bonus track, "If You Have To Go Away," is a sweet mid-tempo love song dealing with both the dreams and realities of a long distance relationship. If you own the Lead Me On cassette you are strongly urged to pick it up in CD format so you don't miss out on these two gems.

It would be easy to touch upon every song on this album. "Saved By Love" is a song that is especially appreciated by many wives and mothers. "Say Once More" is a simple yet gorgeous ballad of love and devotion. Suffice to say, there is not a weak moment on the entire project. In fact, every track truly excels in the best of ways. Popular music is at its most powerful when it is the vehicle for a message that is real, honest, and, at its core, human. Music can challenge, music can change, and music can inspire. And on Lead Me On, Amy's songs did all of that in a way that we had never seen before. Time may have changed the way that some of these songs are understood (though musically it still sounds great). But the core theme of Lead Me On remains: the Christian walk is a daily struggle that is best dealt with in an honest and open manner, as opposed to the unrealistic picture of Christian perfection that ccm too often portrays.

In the end, Lead Me On is pure and unadulterated Amy Grant; a snapshot from a moment in her life that music fans should be thankful to have been given a glimpse of. It embodies everything that Christian music can and should be and if I had to choose one album to represent contemporary Christian music for the historical record this would be it. Lead Me On is the greatest Christian music project of all time, and a must-own for any serious collection....

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Amy Grant - The Collection

By A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "Hope is not ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA)
I'm not a huge fan of Amy Grant's current offerings. What she sang early in her career, while she was still primarily a Christian pop-worship singer, ranks as her best and most powerful work.

The Michael Card cover, "El Shaddai" might be one of the best songs in Christian music in the last 25 years. She carefully places the emotion of each Hebrew name of God into the air, and compells the listener to ask for more. "Thy Word" is a perfect companion song, based on a well-known passage of Psalms.

She picks up the pace with the keyboard-heavy "Emmanuel," again, providing different names of God.

There is more. "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" is upbeat, charged with the vitality of an encouraged faith. In almost the mode of an old gospel tune, she belts, "I Have Decided" with anthem-like power.

"Ageless Medley" recognizes old favorite songs, like "Old Man's Rubble"

The triumphment "Angels" "angels watching over me..." needs a little volume. Crank it up.

"Father's Eyes" is a slower, but passion-packed song. It has not aged well as her other songs. The meaning is strong, and deserves to be remade.

Noticeably missing is her "Create in Me" (a clean heart). Based on Psalm 51, it is one of her stringest, most biblical songs. It should be on her best of collection.

I fully recommend "Collection" by Amy Grant.

By Mr. Wynn (State of Confusion)
An incredible body of work and this is just the first part of her career as a Christian pop artist.

This is a greatest hits compilation that she released in the 1980's. Great songs from the past and new songs she wrote in addition to our favorites are on this CD.

I always take this CD with me when I travel. When I'm in the air and listening to this CD, I feel at peace with where I am. Then when her song, "I'm Gonna Fly" plays, I look out the window and see the clouds and the earth beneath me and I can't help but smile widely and am so tempted to sing out loud. This live version is even better that the previously released version!

The highlight when listening to this CD for the first time was the last track, "Ageless Medley." It is a super-power medley mix (newly recorded) of all her hits in one song! This was more than a medley. It was not a rehashing of songs but a rebirth of the old tunes in a new format. What a great way to wrap up the album! If for anything, this last track is truly worth the investment into this album.

Some tunes are rare live versions that are even better than the studio recordings on previous albums! There are only a couple of live tracks but they so well deserve to be included on this "Collection" package.

I highly recommend this CD to all! It will inspire youa nd lift you higher and make you feel as if you were flying in a musical paradise! ...

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Amy Grant - Unguarded

Unguarded, Amy Grant's sixth regular studio album (and ninth album overall), marked her big pop move. After 1982's Age to Age and 1984's Straight Ahead went gold despite distribution restricted mainly to Christian bookstores, Grant's management forged a distribution deal with major independent A&M Records for Unguarded, and the album was backed with a promotional campaign and national tour in keeping with a front-line pop act. Grant's producer, Brown Bannister, had been listening carefully to the pop charts throughout her career, and here he seemed determined to give her the kind of sound that would compete successfully on the secular airwaves of the day. For the mid-'80s, that meant synthesizers, programmed drums, and more synthesizers. And Bannister succeeded. It was easy to imagine the tracks on Unguarded being played alongside hits by the Cars, Duran Duran, and Thompson Twins on pop radio. What also made that transition easier was the only lightly spiritual content of the lyrics. In song after song, Grant (who contributed to seven of the ten tunes, mostly writing words) and her collaborators described life as a struggle and suggested encouragement; if you listened carefully, words like "God," "Jesus," "holy," and "pray" might turn up once per song, or might be only implied by context...

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Amy Grant - Straight Ahead

If you think that Amy Grant's Age to Age is her best album, then you will love this one. Straight Ahead has to be the very best of Amy's earlier works. Even though this CD was made in 1984, it possesses upbeat and catchy songs that will stick with you no matter how old it gets. One of the best songs is "Jehovah" which talks about how if God gives birds in the air everything, how much does He give to us. And possibly the most well-known track is the song "Thy Word," written with Michael W. Smith. It is about God's word being a light for us in this crazy world.

But there is a down-point to Straight Ahead, and that is the song "It's Not A Song." Written by Gary Chapman, this song says that a song is not a song until it tears you apart and that our life is our song. The song isn't a complete loss but it isn't up to par with the rest of the project. The title track is about how there are many different paths in life, and you will be able to see God's light to get you through the darkness and into His heart. If you only buy one of Amy's earlier album's, this one has to be it....

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Amy Grant - A Christmas Album

Amy Grant's first Christmas album is not only one of the best recordings of her career, it's easily one of the best contemporary Christmas collections available. Grant's Christian beliefs have been incorporated into her music for years, and maybe it's the artistic translation of the depth of her faith that makes these songs so inspiring. "Emmanuel" and "Angels We Have Heard on High" have Grant's vocals soaring, especially on the sustained chorus of the latter. Her country roots show nicely in "Tennessee Christmas," while "Sleigh Ride" is as fun as it is romantic. "Heirlooms" is particularly poignant--maybe not to the point of "hand me a tissue," but it's powerful all the same. A must for fans, and a good holiday addition for those looking for a Christmas record that comes without the cobwebs. --Steve Gdula

While many recording artists secular and religious leave their normal musical style on record store shelves when setting out to record a Christmas album, Amy Grant stays true to herself and her listeners. Since Amy swept up Grammy and Dove Awards this year her fans have eagerly awaited her next release. Although a season LP, A Christmas Album (Myrrh) offers completely new material for Amy....

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Amy Grant - Age To Age

The transition from juvenile to adult is perilous for anyone, but it is especially difficult for popular artists, and many are unable to grow up without losing their audiences. But a few blossom remarkably. Stevie Wonder's Talking Book and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall are remembered, in a sense, as the first albums for these 21-year-old former child stars because they marked the beginnings of their mature careers, becoming commercial as well as artistic breakthroughs. Amy Grant's Age to Age, also recorded as she turned 21, was another such work. Grant had recorded three studio albums and two live albums previously, and they had contained indications of her abilities (and the abilities of her brain trust of producer Brown Bannister and managers Michael Blanton and Dan Harrell, plus songwriter Gary Chapman, by now Grant's fiancé). But Age to Age marked a quantum leap for her. Over the years of performing and recording, she had developed into an effective singer who could manage both a breathy intimacy in her ballads and an on-the-beat belt (usually much augmented by backup singers) on uptempo material. She, Chapman, and Bannister, meanwhile, had purveyed a lyrical style that might be dubbed "Christian lite," since it emphasized a "personal relationship" with God that often came off as if the singer were addressing an earthly father or even an idealized boyfriend. To these sentiments, Bannister produced musical tracks much in keeping with contemporary pop. On Age to Age, partly recorded at former Chicago manager James William Guercio's Caribou Ranch studio, Bannister turned to the emerging West Coast pop style being developed by David Foster for Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others, a sophisticated pop/rock sound. That upped the ante sonically, but two other elements were brought into the picture that pushed the album beyond previous Grant efforts....

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Amy Grant - In Concert, Volume 2

In 1981, with only a few albums under her belt, Amy Grant released In Concert, Vol. 1 and 2. The double issue was somewhat premature because she had yet to find her real niche in the music industry and only sparked a few minor hits. (Her big break would come later the same year when she released her massively successful Age to Age). Hearing Grant speak live to the audience, she conveys a tone of shyness; her words are powerful, but somehow we wonder how much power she has inside her to back them up. Most of the songs center on grace and thanks to Christ, though other songs, like the inspirational ballad "I'm Gonna Fly," are ambiguous. The album is mellow and tranquil, reminding us that Grant was never big on personality or range, especially in her earlier days. Her rise to fame came from determinedness and a humble spirit. If it must be said, Grant is the un-Madonna of Christian music and will be around as long as she chooses to be around....

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Amy Grant - Never Alone

When you stop to think about it, it's difficult to pinpoint what it was that propelled Amy Grant to her unquestioned position as the reigning queen of Christian contemporary music. It wasn't her songwriting ability; Grant has rarely written, save for collaborations with greater talents like Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Keith Thomas, or (ex-)husband Gary Chapman. Nor did she achieve fame through any particular accomplishment as a musician, as was the case with her CCM contemporaries Smith, Phil Keaggy and Keith Green. The record jacket for Never Alone pictures her sitting next to an acoustic guitar, but all of the guitars on the record (as on all of her records) are handled by session artists. She is known primarily as a vocalist, but unlike Sandi Patti or Charlie Peacock, she is not a particularly powerful or distinctive singer. Her voice is pleasant, pretty, and appealing, but limited in range and, especially on early records like Never Alone, sometimes thin and breathy. It's tempting to speculate that her friendly Everywoman persona struck a chord with fans (as it undoubtedly did) or that she looked exceptionally attractive in leopard skin jackets and pink lamé pants (which probably helped)...

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Amy Grant - Lead Me On - 20th Anniversary Edition

Sounds like … '80s styled pop/rock similar to Michael W. Smith and Kathy Troccoli, inspiring the work of Bethany Dillon, Nichole Nordeman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant, and numerous others.

At a glance … twenty years after its release, Lead Me On remains the quintessential Amy Grant album, combining catchy and skillfully crafted pop/rock with surprisingly honest articulations of faith in everyday life.

There are many Christian albums that are beloved by listeners, but few in the genre that are widely acknowledged as true classics. Many favorites become increasingly forgotten with time—certainly within the last 20 years, if not the 40 year history of Christian pop and rock. But the albums of Amy Grant have endured, whether due to her popularity in the '80s and '90s or the timelessness of much of the music, and none have grown in stature quite as much as this one has.

Which is interesting considering that Lead Me On was not Grant's most successful album. Yes, it sold well for a Christian release, but it was not the envisioned mainstream crossover—that fell to 1991's Heart in Motion. But the album netted Grant a Grammy and a pair of Doves awards, plus CCM Magazine eventually named it the No. 1 Christian album. Regardless of chart success and overall sales, something about Lead Me On took root in the annals of Christian music history—enough for Grant's new label home, Sparrow Records, to release a commemorative 20th Anniversary Edition of the project.

Could it be that Lead Me On was too edgy for its time? After all, until this album, Grant was best known for inspirational fare like "Thy Word" and "El Shaddai." Even Unguarded was relatively overt in its spiritual expressions. But Lead Me On was gutsy for its time, as Grant reached deeper lyrically to express what was going on in her own life. In some ways it was an attempt at an album that was grounded in faith, yet accessible to non-Christians, asking hard questions without always giving easy answers. Grant has yet to release an album quite like Lead Me On, balancing pop accessibility (Heart in Motion, House of Love) with introspective lyricism (Behind the Eyes) and clear-cut spirituality (her Hymns of Faith projects).

The anthemic title track remains an indispensible classic in Christian music, and in a sense, it best represents what this album is all about—a real life application of "Thy Word" (inspired by Psalm 119), weathering the trials of life with hope by following God's lead. With that is the poignant album opener "1974," alluding to the point when faith first come alive for Grant as a 14-year-old.

After those mountaintop experiences, the album delves into some of the most open and honest struggles with temptation ever heard in Christian music. "Shadows" is an oft forgotten favorite and a perfect application of Romans 7 without quoting it verbatim. Grant bares her soul even more with "Faithless Heart," a tremendous pop song written with her friend (and then keyboard player) Michael W. Smith about sexual temptation and staying true to marriage. (Yes, cynics still say this song was prophetic of Grant's divorce ten years later—it doesn't lessen its impact or relevance in depicting sinful struggles.) And then there's the darkly toned "What About the Love," which demonstrates how easy it is to fall into the traps of greed, pride, apathy, and legalism.

Lead Me On remains firmly entrenched in '80s pop, and as such, the production hasn't aged well, yet there's still something timeless about it. Songs like the title track and "All Right," expressing faith through all things, have huge gated snare drums and are drenched in reverb. But the reverb was naturally produced, not electronically. Also, the massive drums and cheesy synths are juxtaposed with acoustic elements like piano, fiddle, and mandolin. "Saved by Love" has a tender pop quality that bridges Grant's music to the AC pop heard on Heart in Motion, while "If You Have to Go Away" feels a bit like a country song in pop clothing....

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Amy Grant - Greatest Hits

Even now as you glance upon this review, some are asking themselves, "Wait a second... didn't Amy Grant already come out with a greatest hits album and fairly recently?" The answer is an emphatic "yes," and more specifically, it was only three years ago since the last hits compilation. But with great label switches come greatest hits projects. It's inevitable.

Since Amy Grant and her catalog of music has migrated from Word Entertainment on over to EMI CMG, the latter is celebrating the aquisition with Greatest Hits, their own take on a compilation of hits from Amy Grant's impressive discography. The pop princess has churned out some truly memorable tunes in both the mainstream and Christian markets, and once again we have a 19-track collection as proof. Where 2004's Greatest Hits 1986 - 2004 offered a slew of goodies along with it, the simply titled Greatest Hits boasts 19 remastered cuts straight from her established catalog - no remixes, no new exclusives. While this allows room for some golden oldies to make the cut, it edges out the feeling that the collection represents Amy's past and present and not only her past. It may be tempting to look at this collection as a representation of one of those champions of music from yesteryear you find in the bargain bin end cap in a music store. There's no hint as to what's to come next from Grant. And with last year's fantastically intimate retrospective Time Again... Amy Grant Live, it seems monotonous to have yet another retrospective hit the shelves.

But how does this collection represent our Amy? Quite well. It does give a wonderful sampling from her career. Although "Simple Things" isn't the strongest choice to kick off the project, it gets right on track with "Takes a Little Time" and the hopelessly catchy "Lucky One." Most of the first half of the disc is loaded with those infectious pop songs that remind you of the iconic Amy Grant: "Baby Baby," "Every Heartbeat," the powerful "Lead Me On," "That's What Love Is For," "Good For Me," and one of the most emotional and heartbreakingly haunting love songs to ever come to mind, "I Will Remember You." And the selection turns to the more spiritual and intimate as well with "Thy Word" and "El Shaddai," an element of Amy's career that was sorely missed on Greatest Hits 1986 - 2004. So if you were to want one compilation of Amy's career highlights, the new Greatest Hits is your pick....

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Amy Grant - Time Again... Amy Grant Live CD/DVD

Few contemporary Christian artists have impacted the world quite like Amy Grant has. And as this incredible artist approaches her thirtieth anniversary of making music for the masses, she has returned to the city where she had performed her first show ever to record her first live album in twenty five years. Recorded live at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, TX, Grant creates an intimate presence on stage, presenting classics old and new spanning her impressive career.

Live projects are tricky because they tend to possess a short lifespan. There is a wide range to the kinds of quality they can display -- from the in-the-audience feel to the so-polished-you-forget-it's-live. Grant's is perfectly the latter, and to her benefit. The in-concert chatter between songs is preserved as well as the hints of imperfections in her voice due to age and experience, but it all works together wonderfully for this project. The sound for each song is unbelievably crisp, creating new versions of old favorites without having that studio polish. It's intimate without forfeiting quality. This may be one of the most replayable live albums to date.

The song selection is a pleasant surprise as well. While I admit I have never followed Amy Grant's career too closely, I've grown up hearing her songs around everywhere. The selection is a nice mix of old and new, spiritual and romantic, representing all sides of her career. Time Again... Amy Grant Live opens with the anthemic and unforgettable "Lead Me On," before Grant invites everyone to dance to her irresistibly catchy "Good For Me." Grant's voice fluctuates at times between spot-on and a little raspy, but still sounds good from song to song....

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Amy Grant - Rock Of Ages: Hymns & Faith

Sounds like … classic hymns and a few of Grant's familiar pop hits performed in the pop, folk, and country style of Shawn Colvin, Alison Krauss, and Sara Groves.

At a glance … though the hymn choices are a little more obscure this time, fans of the Legacy album will still enjoy Grant's refreshing mix of church standards and Americana.

In just over 25 years since her self-titled 1977 debut, Amy Grant has sold more than 25 million albums. More than half a million of those can be attributed to the Dove Award winning, recently Gold certified Legacy … Hymns and Faith project from 2002. Citing the hymns as foundational to all she is as an artist and a Christian, Grant has again perused various hymnals to select more of her favorites for her 20th recording, Rock of Ages … Hymns & Faith.

The album teams her again with producers Brown Bannister and husband/guitarist Vince Gill and reflects a more stable period in Grant's life than Legacy, which was recorded on the heels of a pregnancy and marked her return to Christian music after a long absence. Once again, she's contemporized the classics with arrangements that show her growing love of Americana—blending pop, folk, country, blues, and gospel influences. But because Gill didn't grow up in the church, the couple strikes a happy balance between his more adventurous pop/country sensibilities and her more conservative Church of Christ upbringing.

To Gill's credit, he knows how to add musical elements to give an arrangement whatever it needs to be interesting, whether it's playful, soulful, or reverent. As such, we're treated to a nice opening gospel/country rendition of "Anywhere with Jesus" highlighted by some sweet guitar licks from Gill. An atypical 6/8 feel to "I Surrender All" infuses the oft-covered hymn with new life, and the Irish flavor added to "O Master Let Me Walk with Thee" adds much to the enjoyably old-fashioned text and melody. Things become decidedly more reflective with an instrumental arrangement of "God Moves in a Mysterious Way," which leads into the reverent simplicity of "The Lord Is in His Holy Temple." Closing out the album is "O Lover That Will Not Let Me Go," rendered here with soulful horns and a sax solo reminiscent of a late night jazz lounge.

Rock of Ages is indeed more personalized than Legacy with nods to Grant's family and heritage. Fans have waited for years (since "House of Love") for a fresh worthwhile duet between Grant and Gill, and they get it here with "Rock of Ages." Backed by the legendary Fairfield Four gospel quartet, the combination of old and new on this title track make it sound like a Blind Boys of Alabama piece. Also of interest is the fine folk/country take on "Sweet Will of God"—the first verse was recorded by Grant back in 1986 as a Christmas present to her parents, and it does indeed echo her Lead Me On days. Elsewhere, Grant's immediate family participates in a Carter Family Singers styled cover of "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" that's poignant, yet also a bit saccharine.

Listeners may be divided over Grant's interweaving of her past hits among the hymns. A fan favorite is the roots rock medley she performed on tour in 2004, fusing her "Helping Hand" to "Jesus Loves Me" and "They'll Know We Are Christians." In this way, she delivers an arrangement with personality while serving up a thoughtful musical devotion on grace and servitude. Her pop original "Carry You" is a track previously only released on WoW 1998, offering Scripture-inspired comfort written from God's perspective. She also offers yet another cover of "El Shaddai," though it is admittedly a wonderful version with a slightly different song structure and pleasant harmony/guitar from Gill. But do we need another version of it, and should these songs be included on an album primarily defined by classic hymns?....

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Amy Grant - Greatest Hits 1986 - 2004

Amy Grant has been making music for close to three decades now. Starting out in Christian music and breaking into the mainstream in the 1980's, Amy Grant has made a lasting impression on music with her radio-friendly pop/rock and her girl-next-door persona.

Greatest Hits 1986 - 2004, her follow-up to her 1986 release The Collection, features more of her mainstream pop hits that are more widely recognizable. The project begins with two brand new songs "The Water" and "Come With Me" that showcase Grant's friendly and inviting vocals set to modern contemporary accompaniment. At first listen, they may not sound like they are worthy to be categorized with such hits, but given time they seem to fit right in.

"The Next Time I Fall" takes the listener back to 1986. The duet with Chicago frontman Peter Cetera is a classic 80's love single and is followed by "Saved By Love" and the anthemic "Lead Me On" from her 1988 record Lead Me On. From those two blatantly faith-based songs, we move to the glory days of her pop career with five tracks from her 1991 hit record Heart In Motion. Starting off with "Baby Baby" which hit number one on both the pop and adult contemporary charts, it's easy to see just why these songs were such hits. While extremely dated, these songs were just about as good as it got for pop radio in the early 90's. Unfortunately they were also void of any spirituality but, at the same time, were just harmless love songs. "Every Heartbeat," "That's What Love Is For," "Good For Me," and "I Will Remember You" are wonderful additions....

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Amy Grant - Simple Things

Sounds like … the classic adult contemporary pop that Grant was known for in the '90s, created with current pop techniques.

At a Glance … though it perhaps lacks some of the depth listeners were hoping for, there is still plenty of emotional resonance to be found on this long overdue and wonderfully produced pop project.

It's been six years since Amy Grant last released an album of all new pop material. Imagine how many artists' careers have come and gone in that time. Which is not to say that the first lady of Christian pop has been idle, with a Christmas album and a hymns project since 1997's Behind the Eyes. There's also been a whirlwind of activity in her private life—a divorce, a marriage, a blending of families, and a new daughter. While those things have been the primary focus of Grant's energy, her music was never far from her mind. And now at last comes Simple Things, her first personal work since her very public divorce—the biggest controversy of her career.

What should one expect musically from an artist who has been so long absent? I assumed she might continue the acoustic pop sounds of Behind the Eyes, or perhaps even gone a little more country due to the influence of husband Vince Gill, a country music veteran. While there's a little of the Behind the Eyes sound here, the album also resembles 1991's Heart in Motion and 1994's House of Love, but more current sounding; synth-driven pop is still a thing of the past. Produced in part by many long-time collaborators (Brown Bannister, Ron Hemby, Wayne Kirkpatrick), primary producer Keith Thomas' influence is most evident; he co-wrote Grant's hit "Baby Baby" and has since produced for young pop artists like Mandy Moore and 98 Degrees.

As such, this is adult contemporary pop with plenty of modern bells and whistles. The title track in particular sounds like something from Mandy Moore, Jump5, or even Britney Spears—with programmed drums, record scratches, clipped electric guitar effects, and an extremely sunny sounding chorus. "Eye to Eye" prominently features a warbly backing vocal (by teen Katy Hudson) reminiscent of R&B pop artists, but also not unlike the synthetic sounds Michael W. Smith once brought to Grant's music. Aside from those two tracks, it's Grant's familiar pop sound with the glossiest treatment that modern recording techniques and a big budget can provide.

It makes sense that thematically this album alternates between the brokenness of Behind the Eyes and the joyfulness of Heart in Motion. Simple Things seems to be a catharsis for Grant, half of it focused on lovey-dovey stuff. The album even picks up where she left off in '97, opening with the line "I want to look behind your eyes" in "Happy," a celebration of marital bliss and true love that runs deeper than the surface. Like Rebecca St. James' "Wait for Me," Grant waxes romantically over the lifelong search for true love in "Looking for You." She sings a sweet duet with Vince on "Beautiful," a power ballad that wasn't written by either of them, but could just as easily be autobiographical with them singing about the joys and pains they've gone through. Grant seems very happy with her family life, and these are the songs that will most likely find their way to mainstream radio....

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Amy Grant - Legacy...Hymns & Faith

Sounds like … timeless hymns (and a few originals) performed in Amy Grant's style of acoustic country/pop.

At a Glance … as one would expect of an Amy Grant album, this is a thoughtfully produced and skillfully performed recording that's sure to inspire many.

If there's one artist who needs little-if-any introduction here, it's Amy Grant, Christian music's most popular and successful pop artist. In an industry where many hope to sell at least 200,000 copies of a given album, 12 of Amy's albums have gone gold (sold in excess of 500,000). Among those, 9 have gone platinum (selling more than 1 million units). Three of those have gone on to sell more than 2 million — House of Love (1994), Home for Christmas (1992), and Heart in Motion (1991). 2002 marks the 25th anniversary of Amy Grant as a recording artist, so it certainly seems appropriate to call her new album Legacy. However, this isn't a retrospective of Amy's career thus far (a box set will serve that purpose later this year), nor is it a new pop album (which you also can expect within the next year). Instead, Legacy … Hymns & Faith serves as a musical expression of Amy's Christian upbringing — the songs that shaped her faith and her career as a Christian artist.

Legacy was co-produced by Amy, her friend and long-time producer Brown Bannister, and her husband, country artist Vince Gill, who offered a fresh set of ears to the creative process having not grown up listening to church music himself. This is a very Nashville-sounding album, blending together the two musical genres for which the city is best known — country and pop. The trio of producers assembled a team of top-notch studio musicians from the Nashville area to perform on Legacy, and as you would expect, the album sounds great. Rather than creating a simple album of straightforward hymn arrangements, Amy and company did a fine job of adding their own style to the project.

The opening cut, "This Is My Father's World," is acoustic pop with country undertones, highlighted by piano, B-3 organ, and a terrific acoustic guitar solo. It's a bit like Eric Clapton's "Change the World." The guitar work shines throughout album, especially the electric guitar solo in the country interpretation of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." An instrumental acoustic guitar rendition of "Fields of Plenty" sets the stage for Amy's simple and sparse cover of "Be Still My Soul," and rhythmic acoustic guitars propel "Fairest Lord Jesus" beyond its typical lullaby feel. Amy begins "I Need Thee Every Hour" with gentle guitar accompaniment that suits the hymn's intimate plea, only to segue into bluesy southern gospel for "Nothing but the Blood," complete with a Memphis horn section and Vince singing a duet with her.

Not all of Legacy dwells in the country-pop genre. "Softly and Tenderly" is ethereal sounding, blending steel guitars with breathy keyboards and a tribal percussion line that brings to mind the modern worship song "Better Is One Day." Amy also pulls off a short but clever medley of three hymns ("What a Friend We Have in Jesus," "The Old Rugged Cross," and "How Great Thou Art"), seamlessly transitioning from one to another to create a single piece and a unifying message. Celtic fans will enjoy the lively version of "My Jesus I Love Thee," highlighted by whistle, fiddle, and mandolin. The album closes like the end of a grand worship service, with a closing prayer followed by a joyous Irish version of "Marching to Zion," complete with bagpipes....

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Friday, September 19, 2008

Amy Grant - In Concert

In Concert is the fourth album by Christian singer Amy Grant, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music).

In Concert was the first album of a double live set, the other being In Concert Volume Two, which was released later that year. Although the two should have been issued as a double album, budget problems forced the two to be released separately. In Concert featured two new songs: "Mimi's House" and "Singing A Love Song" (which became a Top Ten Christian radio hit).

In 2007, In Concert was reissued and digitally remastered by Grant's new record label, EMI/Sparrow Records. The remastered edition is labeled with a "Digitally Remastered" logo in the 'gutter' on the CD front....

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Amy Grant - My Father's Eyes

By Levi (Houston, Texas United States)
Amy Grants second album should have been part of the first album but I believe she wanted to savor the moments of her music by taking her time and releasing it separately. My father's Eyes reminds me of her first album. It's so beatiful her voice is still the same never changes even til today. Her songs are so uplifting and spiritually moving. I definitely recommend this album and her first album as well. But not to forget the other albums she did after this one are also something to brag about. In other words I recommend her other albums as well.

By AROLDO DAVID NORIEGA "David" (Guatemala)
This is when Amy Grant's voice was like an angel, I like her now of course but I liked her better 20 years ago. I guess I am getting old; this cd makes me remember good days.

By Louise Dana (Rosemont, PA)
Most of the songs on this album are forgettable, but it's worth getting for "Father's Eyes" and "Faith Walkin' People," which are closer to Grant's usual standard. "O Sacred Head" is an interesting track--Grant and her two sisters singing Bach in a cappella harmony, punctuated at appropriate (and unplanned) moments by rolls of thunder. These are pretty much the only songs on the album that stand up to repeated listenings, but Grant's fresh, clear young voice helps the others considerably. Not bad for a teenager surreptitiously making an album as a surprise for her parents while studying full-time at college....

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Amy Grant - Amy Grant

Amy Grant is the first album by then-teenage Christian singer Amy Grant, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music).

Amy Grant, although today considered a modest record success, was probably one of the biggest Christian album releases ever when it was issued in 1977. At that time, CCM (or as it was more commonly called, Inspirational music) was a tiny subgenre, sold exclusively at Christian bookstores. But the album was a breakthrough in terms of the Christian music market of the day, selling 50,000 copies in one year. Three songs from the album made Top Ten Christian radio airplay: "Old Man's Rubble," "Beautiful Music," and "What A Difference You've Made."

In 2007, Amy Grant was reissued and digitally remastered by Grant's new record label, EMI/Sparrow Records. The remastered edition is labeled with a "Digitally Remastered" logo in the 'gutter' on the CD front....

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Awards

* Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum inductee, 2007

GRAMMY AWARDS & NOMINATIONS:

* 1994 – Nomination – Children Spoken Word – Lion & the Lamb
* 1992 – Nomination – Album of the Year – Heart in Motion
* 1992 – Nomination – Song of the Year – Baby Baby
* 1992 – Nomination – Record of the Year – Baby Baby
* 1992 – Nomination – Pop Performance Female – Baby Baby
* 2006 – Award – Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album – Rock of Ages…Hymns & Faith
* 1988 – Award – Best Contemporary Album – Lead Me On
* 1986 – Award – Best Gospel Performance - Unguarded
* 1985 – Award – Best Gospel Performance - Angels
* 1984 – Award – Best Gospel Performance – Ageless Medley
* 1983 – Award – Best Contemporary Album – Age to Age

OTHER SPECIAL AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS:

* 25 Dove Awards – Including 4 Time Artist of the Year
* 2003 Inducted into the Gospel Music Association “Hall of Fame”
* 2003 Seminar in the Rockies Summit Award
* 2001 “Nashvillian of the Year”
* 1999 The Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Symphony and Tennessee Performing Arts Center: “An Evening with the Arts” Honoring Grant’s Contributions to the Nashville

Performing Arts Community
* 1999 The Target House – The Amy Grant Rose
* 1996 TNN Awards – Sarah Cannon Humanitarian Award
* 1996 Columbia Hospital – Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award
* 1996 ASCAP Award – Voice of America
* 1996 Academy of Achievement – Golden Plate Award
* 1994 St. John University – Pax Christi Award
* 1994 Nashville Symphony – Harmony Award
* 1992 Junior Chamber of Commerce – Outstanding Tennessean
* 1992 Nomination – American Music Awards – Best Rock/Pop Performance by a Female
* 1992 Nomination – MTV Awards – “Baby Baby” Video



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Amy Grant discography

This article includes the discography of American Christian music and pop singer-songwriter Amy Grant. In 2007, Word Records announced that the singer's recordings are estimated to

have some more than 30 million units worldwide, making her the best selling Christian recording artist ever.



Albums

All album chart positions are taken from the Billboard charts.



Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions RIAA Certification[2]
US Christian US 200
1977 Amy Grant


1979 My Father's Eyes 19
Gold
1980 Never Alone


1982 Age to Age 1
Platinum
1984 Straight Ahead 1 133 Gold
1985 Unguarded 1 35 Platinum
1988 Lead Me On 1 71 Gold
1991 Heart in Motion 1 10 Multi-Platinum
1994 House of Love 1 13 2× Multi-Platinum
1997 Behind the Eyes 2 8 Gold
2002 Legacy...Hymns and FaithA 1 21 Gold
2003 Simple Things 1 23
2005 Rock of Ages...Hymns and Faith 1 42


Live albums

Year Album Chart positions
US Christian US 200
1981 Amy Grant in Concert 38
In Concert Volume Two

2006 Time Again...Amy Grant Live 6 87


Christmas albums

Year Album Chart positions RIAA Certification[2]
US Christian US 200
1983 A Christmas Album 9
Platinum
1992 Home for Christmas (re-released in 1996 as 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best Of Amy Grant, US Christian #9) 1 2 3× Multi-Platinum
1999 A Christmas to Remember 1 36 Gold


Compilations

Year Album Chart positions RIAA Certification[2]
US Christian US 200
1986 The Collection 1 66 Platinum
1998 Smash Hits A


2000 Remix Collection A B


Amy Grant Collection A B


2002 Her Greatest Inspirational Songs 37

2004 Greatest Hits 1986-2004 C 3 48
2005 My Best Christmas


2006 Hymns for the Journey D


2007 Greatest Hits 8 196
Amy Grant: A Film and TV Collection A



* A Promotional Release
* B Released only in Japan.
* C Peaked at #48 on the US Top Internet Albums.
* D Only available at Cracker Barrel.



Virtual albums

* iTunes Originals - Amy Grant
* Songs from Mosaic, released 10/23/2007 on iTunes



Singles

Year Single Chart positions Album
US Christian US Hot 100 US AC UK
1977 "What a Difference You've Made/On and On" - - - - Amy Grant
"Old Man's Rubble/Beautiful Music" - - - -
1979 "Father's Eyes" 1 - - - My Father's Eyes
1981 "I'm Gonna Fly" 10 - - - In Concert Volume Two
1982 "Sing Your Praise To The Lord" 1 - - - Age to Age
"El Shaddai" 1 - - -
1983 "Ageless Medley" - - - - Ageless Medley EP
"Tennessee Christmas" - - - - A Christmas Album
"Emmanuel" - - - -
1984 "Angels" 1 - - - Straight Ahead
1985 "Find a Way" 1 29 7 - Unguarded
"Everywhere I Go" 4 - 28 -
"Wise Up" 2 66 34 -
"Sharayah" 2

-
1986 "Stay for Awhile" 1 - 18 - The Collection
"The Next Time I Fall" (w/ Peter Cetera) - 1 1 78 Solitude/Solitaire (Peter Cetera album)
1988 "Saved by Love" 1 - 32 - Lead Me On
"Lead Me On" 1 96 - 89
"1974 (We Were Young)" 1 - 34 -
"What About the Love" 1 - 34 -
"Say Once More" 2 - - -
"Faithless Heart" 12 - - -
1989 "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" - - - - Our Hymns
1991 "Baby Baby" - 1 1 2 Heart In Motion
"Hope Set High" 1 - - -
"Every Heartbeat" - 2 2 25
"That's What Love Is For" - 7 1 60
"Ask Me" - - - -
1992 "Good For Me" - 8 4 60
"I Will Remember You" - 20 2 -
"Somewhere Somehow" (w/ Michael W. Smith) - - - - Change Your World (Michael W. Smith album)
"Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" - - - - Home For Christmas
"Grown-Up Christmas List" - - - -
"Let the Season Take Wing" - - - - Let the Season Take Wing
1993 "We Believe In God" - - - - Songs From the Loft
1994 "House Of Love" (w/ Vince Gill) - 37 5 46 House Of Love
"Lucky One" - 18 2 60
"Say You'll Be Mine" - - - 41
"Helping Hand" 1 - - -
1995 "Big Yellow Taxi" - 67 18 20
"Oh How the Years Go By" - - - -
"Love Has a Hold On Me" - - - -
"Children Of The World" 1 - - -
"Lover of My Soul" 1 - - - My Utmost for His Highest
1996 "The Things We Do for Love" - - 24 - Mr. Wrong soundtrack
1997 "Takes a Little Time" - 21 4 - Behind The Eyes
"Say/What Kind of Love" - - - - More Music from Behind The Eyes
"Somewhere Down the Road" - - - - Behind The Eyes
1998 "I Will Be Your Friend" - - 27 -
"Like I Love You" - - 10 -
"Turn This World Around" - - - -
"Nothing Is Beyond You" 1 - - - The Jesus Record
1999 "Shine All Your Light" 22 - - - Touched By an Angel: The Album
"Child of God" - - - - Child of God
2000 "Irresistible Love" - - - - The Mercy Project
2002 "The River's Gonna Keep on Rollin" - - - - Legacy, Hymns and Faith
"This is My Father's World" - - - -
2003 "Simple Things" 7 23 23 - Simple Things
"Out In The Open" 21 - - -
"Innocence Lost" - - - -
2004 "God Is With Us" - - - - Gloria
"The Water" - - - - Greatest Hits 1986-2004
"Come Be With Me" - - 32 -
"Where Are You?" - - - - Where Are You?
"What Is the Chance of That" - - - - What Is the Chance of That
2006 "Carry You" - - - - Rock of Ages...Hymns and Faith
"Believe" - - - - Believe
"In A Little While" - - - - Time Again...Amy Grant Live
2008 "She Colors My Day" - - - - She Colors My Day



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Looking ahead

Although neither of her latest hymn releases have captured the popularity of her previous gospel career, Grant still remains a popular concert draw and enjoys popularity amongst both

fan bases. For years in the 1990s and early 2000s, she toured in November and December for her Christmas and holiday tours. Often her husband and many special guests performed

along with her on stage. Grant is known for her live performances of many of her hit songs. She also has been known to perform songs of fellow female vocalists, most notably, "Big

Yellow Taxi", made famous by Joni Mitchell, which she covers at most large venues and recorded for the House of Love album.

Grant joined the reality television phenomenon by hosting Three Wishes, a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small-town residents.[10] The show

debuted on NBC in the fall of 2005 and was canceled at the end of its first season because of high production costs. After Three Wishes was canceled, Grant won her 6th Grammy

Award for Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith. In a February 2006 webchat, Amy stated she believes her "best music is still ahead".

In April 2006, a live CD/DVD entitled Time Again...Amy Grant Live was recorded in Fort Worth, Texas, at Bass Performance Hall. (Grant's first paid public performance was at the Will

Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, TX.) The concert was released on September 26, 2006. In addition to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, media appearances included

write-ups in CCM Magazine, and a performance on The View.

In a February 2007 web chat on her web site, Amy discussed a book she was working on entitled "Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far": "It’s not an autobiography, but more a collection of

memories, song lyrics, poetry and a few pictures." The book was released on October 16, 2007. In November, it debuted at #35 on the New York Times Best Seller list.[11] In the same

web chat, Amy noted that she is "anxious to get back in the studio after the book is finished, and reinvent myself as an almost-50 performing woman."

2007 was Grant's 30th year in music. She left Word/Warner, and contracted with EMI CMG who re-released her regular studio albums as remastered versions on August 14, 2007.

Marking the start of Grant's new contract is a career-spanning greatest hits album, with all the songs digitally remastered. The album was released as both a single-disc CD edition, and

a 2-Disc CD/DVD Special Edition, the DVD featuring music videos and interviews.[12]

Grant appeared with Gill on The Oprah Winfrey Show in December 2007, for a holiday special.[13] Grant has plans to appear on CMT, a Food Network special, the Gospel Music

Channel, and The Hour of Power.[14]

On June 24, 2008, Grant re-released her 1988 album, Lead Me On, in honor of its 20th Anniversary. The two-disc release includes the original album and a second disc with new

acoustic recordings, live performances from 1989, and interviews with Amy. Grant will recreate the Lead Me On tour this fall.

On June 27th, 2008, Grant surprised everyone at the Creation Northeast 2008 festival by being the special guest. She performed "Lead Me On" and a few other songs backed with the

Hawk Nelson Band. Then, at the end of the concert, returned to the stage and sang, "Thy Word". She appeared on the 2008 album Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends singing

"Could I Have This Dance".


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In the mainstream

When Heart in Motion was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. Amy's desire to widen her audience was

frowned upon by the confines of the popular definitions of "ministry" at the time.[6] The track "Baby Baby" (written for Grant's newborn daughter, Millie, whose "six week old face was

my inspiration,") became a pop hit (hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. "Baby Baby" received

Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Record and Song of the Year (although it failed to win in any of those categories). Four other hits from the album

made the Pop top 20: "Every Heartbeat" (#2), "That's What Love Is For" (#7), "Good For Me" (#8), and "I Will Remember You" (#20). On the Adult Contemporary chart, all five songs were

top 10 hits, with two of the five ("Baby Baby" and "That's What Love Is For") reaching #1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, since the album also topped the Billboard's Contemporary

Christian Chart for 32 weeks. Heart in Motion is Grant's best-selling album, having sold over 5 million copies according to the RIAA.[7] Grant followed the album with her second

Christmas album, Home For Christmas in 1992, which included the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", written by Chris Eaton and Grant, and would later be covered by many

artists, including Donna Summer, Jessica Simpson (who acknowledged Grant as one of her favorite artists), Vince Gill, Sara Groves, Point of Grace, and Broadway star Barbara Cook.

House of Love in 1994 continued in the same vein, boasting catchy pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the pop hit "Lucky

One" (#18 pop and #2 AC; #1 on Radio & Records) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband Vince Gill) (#37 pop) and a cover of Joni Mitchell's

frequently-covered "Big Yellow Taxi" (#67 pop) (in which she changed the line "And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see em" to "And then they charged the people 25

bucks just to see em).

Grant participated in Lifetime's 1st Annual "Girls & Guitars" benefit, singing numerous songs, including a duet with Melissa Etheridge on "You Sleep While I Drive".

By this time, she and Chapman had three children: Matthew Garrison Chapman (b. 1987), Gloria Mills Chapman (called "Millie", b. 1989), and Sarah Cannon Chapman (b. 1992), who was

named after country legend Minnie Pearl, a family friend. (Pearl's real name was Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon).

After she covered the 10cc song "The Things We Do For Love" for the Mr. Wrong soundtrack, Behind the Eyes 1997 was released in September of 1997. The album struck a much

darker note, leaning more towards downtempo, acoustic soft-rock songs, with more mature (yet still optimistic) lyrics. She called it her "razor blades and Prozac" album.[8] Although

"Takes A Little Time" was a moderate hit single, the album failed to sell like the previous two albums, which had both gone multi-platinum. Behind The Eyes was eventually certified Gold

by the RIAA. The video for "Takes A Little Time" was a new direction for Grant; with a blue light filter, acoustic guitar, the streets and characters of New York City, and a plot, Grant

was re-cast as an adult light rocker. She followed up "Behind The Eyes" with A Christmas To Remember, her third Christmas album, in 1999. The album was certified Gold in 2000.

Citing "irreconcilable differences", Grant filed for divorce against Chapman in March, 1999 and the divorce was finalized in June, 1999.[9] Chapman responded to the filing by noting:

"From my vantage point, we had one irreconcilable difference: I wanted her to stay, and she wanted to leave. Everything else, God could have reconciled."

On March 10, 2000, Grant married Vince Gill, who had divorced country singer Janis Gill of Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Grant and Gill have a daughter together, Corrina Grant Gill, born

March 12, 2001.


Christian Music Links!

Widening audience

Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" when she changed directions to widen her fan base (and hence her musical message). Her goal was to become

the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer.[4] Unguarded (1985) surprised some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's

leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "Find a Way," from Unguarded, became the first Christian song to hit Billboard's Top 40 list, also reaching #7 on the Adult

Contemporary chart. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard Number One hit in 1986 with "The Next Time I Fall", a duet with former Chicago singer/bassist Peter Cetera. That year, she also

recorded a duet with singer Randy Stonehill for his Love Beyond Reason album, entitled "I Could Never Say Goodbye", and recorded The Animals' Christmas with Art Garfunkel.

Lead Me On (1988) contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record. Years later, Lead Me

On would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by CCM Magazine. The mainstream song "Saved by Love" was a minor hit, receiving airplay on radio

stations featuring the newly emerging Adult Contemporary format. The album's title song received some pop radio airplay and crossed over to #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "1974

(We Were Young)" and "Saved By Love" also charted as Adult Contemporary songs. In 1989 she appeared in a Target ad campaign, performing songs off of the album.



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Early career

After she signed to a record company at the age of sixteen, Amy Grant's first, self-titled album (largely self-composed) in 1977, was a runaway success in terms of the Christian music

market of the time. She is a graduate of Harpeth Hall School and was an English major at Furman University and later Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of the sorority

Kappa Alpha Theta. Grant then made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music. These albums included 1979's My Father's Eyes (the title track

written by Grant's future first husband, singer-songwriter Gary Chapman) and Never Alone in 1980. During the 1970s, Amy was also a backup singer for Bill Gaither, and the Bill Gaither

Trio.

1982 marked a turning point in both Grant's career and her personal life. After she married Chapman (on June 15, 1982), her album Age to Age forced critics to notice. The breakthrough

album contained the signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In A Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "Songs

of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two GMA Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the

Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. Age to Age became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983) and the first Christian album to be certified

platinum (1985).

In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith. Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative

relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums.

Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums - albums that later would be the basis for her trademark holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented

Christian hit, Straight Ahead, earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show.


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Amy Grant

Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960 in Augusta, Georgia) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her Contemporary Christian Music and pop music, and a New York

Times Bestselling author, TV personality, and occasional actress.

Grant is considered by many to be one of the true pioneers of Gospel and Contemporary Christian music.[1] She has had a strong influence on Gospel music and the Christian culture in

the United States and beyond. She is the best-selling Christian Music artist of all time, and is the 19th best-selling female solo artist in the United States.



- Summary of Career

Grant made her debut in 1977 as a teenager, and scored her first number-one Christian radio hit two years later. In 1982, she released her breakthrough album, Age to Age, which

became the first Contemporary Christian music album to be certified platinum.

By 1985, her music began to reach a wider audience, when her album Unguarded crossed over onto mainstream charts. This feat was reproduced in 1991 when her album Heart In

Motion became a best-seller and the single "Baby Baby" became a number one pop hit.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Grant continued to record pop-oriented albums and did not make another full gospel album until 2002, with the record Legacy...Hymns and Faith.

In 2006, Grant hosted her own reality television show on NBC, called Three Wishes.

As of 2007, Grant remains the best-selling Contemporary Christian music singer, having sold over 30 million units worldwide. Grant has won six Grammy Awards, 21 Gospel Music

Association Dove Awards, and had the first Christian album ever to go Platinum.[2] Heart in Motion is her best selling album, which has exceeded sales of 5 million.



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