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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