Amy Grant rocks! (Keep it to yourself, okay?)

I have a confession to make.

On Friday night, your correspondent went to see Amy Grant perform at Morristown's Community Theatre.

Yes, that Amy Grant.

Which leads to a couple more confessions.

Really liked the show.

And yes, a couple of Amy's old CDs are in my collection.

Her current tour celebrates the 1988 "Lead Me On" album that propelled the Christian contemporary singer into the mainstream.

In those days, as a red-blooded young American male, my desires were not purely. . . spiritual. The Young Fresh Fellows' wickedly funny song, "Amy Grant," pretty much sums up the attraction.

But as God is my witness, Amy knows her way around a pop song.

They are so bouncy and infectious, you can imagine the Apostles holding up candles, demanding encores.

Actually, if you didn't know Amy's history and just wandered into a show, you might not even realize you're being proselytized. Jesus hardly ever gets a mention.

Yet the vibe is relentlessly upbeat, so much so that as you're bouncing along with the bass lines, in a sea of dancing fans, you're forced to confront life's most basic assumptions:

Hey! Isn't rock supposed to be the devil's music?

Occasionally strumming a guitar, and backed by a crackerjack eight-piece band that included several members from the 1988 tour (minus her ex-husband, bass player Gary Chapman), Amy reprised many fan favorites during the two hour and twenty minute show, starting with "Father's Eyes."

Others included, naturally, "Lead Me On," and "El Shaddai," "Angels," "Tender Tennessee Christmas," "Stay for Awhile" and "Find Away," delicious cotton candy that no amount of detergent can scrub from my brain.

Keyboard player Chris Eaton showed off his Squeeze-like vocal prowess on a solo ballad, and guitarists Jerry McPherson and Chris Rodriguez added bite to the evening.

During a lengthy encore set Amy threw in a few new numbers, which she jokingly compared to campfire songs as she accompanied herself on guitar. One that stood out was called "Please Don't Make Me Beg."

The crowd got into the act, too, serenading Amy with "Happy Birthday." (The onetime teen recording artist turns 48 on Tuesday.)

Amy, who next embarks on a Christmas tour with husband Vince Gill, closed Friday's show with a rocking version of "Turn, Turn, Turn."

The whole concert was recorded, presumably for an album that will fly off her merch table along with all those $30 t-shirts.

As the Young Fresh Fellows sang so long ago: "She just gets rich 'cause she works for God!"

Must confess, Amy Grant still works for me, too.

Just promise to keep that between us, okay?


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