AMY GRANT TO RELEASE NEW 4 SONG EP TITLED SHE COLORS MY DAY ON MAY 5 IN CELEBRATION OF MOTHER’S DAY

Nashville, Tenn. Apr. 28, 2009… GRAMMY ® Award Winning Singer/Songwriter, philanthropist and mother, Amy Grant will release her first new, non-Christmas music in five years with the release of She Colors My Day EP exclusively on iTunes ® the week of May 5 and in partnership with the skin care brand philosophy.

Grant will debut two new songs for Mother’s Day: “She Colors My Day”, a fun pop-song about a mother’s love for her daughter, and the beautiful soul-stirring “Unafraid” which is a tribute to Amy’s own mother. Available May 5 with a debut exclusively on iTunes ®, the 4-song EP also includes classic Grant hits “Baby Baby” and “Oh, How The Years Go By”. The colorful music video for “She Colors My Day” will have an exclusive Amazon.com debut on May 12.

“I’m so glad to be releasing some new music,” says Grant. “I’ve been working on a lot of new material and two of the new songs seemed to fit perfectly for a special Mother’s Day release. ‘Unafraid’ is motherhood from every angle --- partner, parent, caregiver -- a perspective that every 40-something mom knows all too well. And ‘She Colors My Day’ makes me smile thinking of how my own daughters brighten up my life.”

Amy Grant and songwriters Cristina Carlino (philosophy founder and creator) & Stuart Mathis are donating all artist and publishing royalties generated by the sale of the song “She Colors My Day” to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s’ Cancer Research Fund.

Alongside Grant’s EP, philosophy is partnering with online photo and artwork company Snapfish to create personalized books for Mother’s Day. For each book that is created, Snapfish will donate 50 percent of the net proceeds to the “She Colors My Day” project, a philosophy non-profit initiative to assist in raising funds to create a cure for breast cancer. philosophy is also releasing a bubble bath in honor of the charity.

about philosophy
philosophy is a lifestyle brand that celebrates feeling well and living joyously and wants to inspire its customers to live a better life by being better to themselves. Long before the “doctor” skincare brands of today, there was philosophy. Born from biomedic, the acclaimed medical company that pioneered some of today’s most popular in-office treatments such as the micropeel. philosophy skincare has long been recommended by dermatologists and plastic surgeons around the country. philosophy is an international skincare and cosmetic company founded in 1996 and headquartered in phoenix, arizona. For more information please visit our website at www.philosophy.com.

about Amy Grant
Amy Grant’s career spans over 25 years and stretches from her roots in gospel into an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality, and philanthropist. Grant has sold more than 30 million albums and won six Grammys ® in multiple categories, beginning with the platinum selling Age to Age in 1982. She also has six #1 hits, including “Baby, Baby,” and “Every Heartbeat” and is one of only two Christian artists to be awarded a star on the legendary Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Grant released her first live recording in 25 years with Time Again...Amy Grant Live in September 2006, and then announced her first ever label shift to EMI Music Group where her entire music catalog was re-mastered and released via a GREATEST HITS CD and made available for the first time digitally. Last fall she released her first new Christmas music in 9 years, THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION, which in addition to four new songs, features tracks that were hand-picked by Grant to include the best songs from her previous albums that result in a classic Christmas album reminiscent of the Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, etc. albums of old. For more information, visit www.amygrant.com.

Christian Music News Source

Amy's Long and Winding Road

IT'S FRIDAY AFTERNOON, and Amy Grant's ten-year-old son, Matt, bursts home from school, itching to play drums with a drummer friend who's come over to give him a lesson. "Hey, Mom, is it alright?" Matt eagerly asks Amy, who's sitting on the flowered couch in their great room, strumming a guitar and smiling for TCW's photographer. "Sure, Matt, go ahead," Amy, grinning, replies.

Before long, the sound of drumrolls reverberates through the rambling, sixty-year-old farmhouse Amy, thirty-seven, shares with husband Gary Chapman, Matt, eight-year-old Millie, and five-year-old Sarah. "Today's his first real lesson," Amy explains. "He's loud and fast, but he's catching on!" Amy's delight in Matt's experimentation is an emotion this fellow mom instantly recognizes.

During the time I spent with Amy at Riverstone Farm, her sprawling 250-acre spread outside Nashville, it was obvious she's someone who treasures family and friends. Snapshots and framed portraits—Sarah among wildflowers, Gary on his Harley, assorted nieces and nephews—adorn walls, furniture, even her refrigerator. Millie's prescription bottle sits on a kitchen windowsill; kids' stickers plaster a computer monitor. I'm reminded of the common bond we share as busy wives and moms.


Source

Simply Complicated III

In stories I've read, it seems like you've been seeking forgiveness for your divorce. Does it seem that Christians have been slow to extend grace and forgiveness?

Grant: That depends who you're talking to. I just did an interview with a Christian radio station, and he asked, "How have you found people to be?" He was anticipating that my personal experience was that people have been very judgmental. But my experience is that people who have been through painful, difficult times are filled with compassion. And those compassionate people were the first to say, "Keep putting one foot in front of the other. God's merciful in Plan B. Don't give up. It was never about your goodness in the first place." Those were the people who filled the horizon of my world. Those were the people who said, "Hey let's just say a prayer right now," and they would lead me through the most merciful prayer that reminded me of God's love. I have not had one face-to-face lambasting from anybody.

Everybody's entitled to think whatever they want and to express that, but my personal day-to-day experience does not come into contact with any of those people. I'm not surrounded by "yes men"—far from it. But I think people are a lot braver to say things from their own soapbox. From a distance, it's easy to be judgmental and grandiose about your opinions. But none of us, face-to-face with a wounded human being, often chooses to be cruel. Do I think I've been the emotional piñata at a few parties? Maybe, but they were never parties that I was invited to.

On your new CD, the song "Eye to Eye" includes the line, "I'd like to figure out a way to leave a troubled past behind." Have you figured that out yet?

Grant: From a songwriting standpoint, I'd give an A to "Eye to Eye." But it was a group effort; Keith Thomas and I wrote the song together. So, don't read it as entirely autobiographical. The line you quoted, part of it is true, and part of it is poetic license.

"Happy," the opening song on Simple Things, begins with a line that includes the words "behind your eyes." Your last pop album was called Behind the Eyes. That's no coincidence, right?

Grant: It was just a coincidence. The decision to start the album with "Happy" was not my choice.

What was your first choice?

Grant: I wanted to start with "Out in the Open," because that was the first song written for the album. I wrote it in 1999, when I finally started being creative again, when I felt the first real experiences of forgiveness and moving past shame to something better. As for the sequencing of songs on the album, I have a circle of people I work with, and we all have an equal vote. Even though I wanted to start with "Out in the Open," I got voted down! (Laughs.)

There's a nice mix of good old-fashioned love songs and songs of faith. How do you decide the mix?

Grant: I want to hear both types of songs. I am a music lover. For me, the backdrop of half the experiences of life includes music. It never crosses my mind, This is what people want to hear. My thinking is, This is a song I wrote thinking about my niece. Or, This is an idea that came to me when I looked at Vince across the table the other night. Every one of those songs, even the two I didn't write, was so life appropriate, though not necessarily autobiographical.

What's it like working with Vince on your records?

Grant: We didn't work together much on this one, but it's always the easiest thing in the world. I'm a huge fan of his, and I think he's an incredible talent. On this record, he played mandolin on one song, and sang a duet and a background part. It was very different with Legacy (Word, 2002), when he was a producer, directing me. When he produced Legacy, he was very encouraging, very nurturing.

Do your kids dig your music?

Grant: None of them have listened to the new record. The only one I asked to listen to it was Millie, who's 13. I put it up in her room about four months ago and said, "Would you listen to this, and tell me your three least favorite songs?"

That's an interesting way to ask!

Grant: That's what I'm always curious about. But she never did listen! But we were in the car yesterday with a couple of my teenage nieces, and they have really connected with this record.

So, what are your kids listening to?

Grant: Matt (15) has diverse tastes. He loves Radiohead and Coldplay. He likes Incubus, but their language gets a little bit rough. He likes some harder stuff, like Linkin Park. Millie is more into soundtrack stuff. Sarah (10) leans more toward Dixie Chicks and Jo Dee Messina and country. Corinna is actually the only one who listens to my stuff, and it's because she's only 2! I put her to sleep every night to Legacy.

But around my house, the release of Simple Things is no big deal. The much bigger news around my house is that Sarah, who's entering fifth grade, is getting contact lenses. That's the big news bulletin in our home. But that's real life!


Source

Simply Complicated II

ChristianityToday.com interviewed Grant on the day before Simple Things released. Here's what she had to say:

This is your first pop album in six years. Some are calling it a comeback. Would you agree?

Grant: That depends on how well it does! (Laughs).

Even though it's titled Simple Things, your life has been anything but simple for the last few years. Why didn't you call it Complicated Things?

Grant: Because that's not how I feel. The hard times are several years behind me now. This is probably the most peaceful stretch of life I've known as an adult.

You've decided to focus on the simple things that bring you peace?

Grant: A good friend once described me to somebody by saying, "She's actually a very simple person." I wondered if I should have been insulted. I said, "Look, I'm highly educated. I've traveled the world. I work hard." But then I got to thinking, It's true. I'm a simple person. Some people tend to live from trauma to trauma, and that energizes them. I have a hectic schedule, but my mind seeks simplicity—like being in nature, a long bike ride, or sitting on the back porch. My son Matt, who's almost 16, is just a whirling dervish of energy. One plan is ending, and he's always making five more plans. But if I wake up and have a great cup of coffee first thing in the morning, I have pegged the Thrill Meter for the day. I'm not looking for the Next Big Thing.

Many Christian media kind of backed away from Amy Grant stories after your divorce. Many Christian radio stations and bookstores stopped carrying your music. And many of your fans were disappointed in what had happened in your personal life. Do you understand why people felt that way, and do you think it was fair?

Grant: I would rather not comment on any of that. Anybody who's ever gone through a hard time—any outsider's perception, no matter how much information they're given, they have no idea what the person's life is like. It's two different worlds. But my energy was focused on trying to find my way out of a deep, dark wood, and getting good help that I trusted, and being involved with the people I was responsible for and responsible to. Beyond that extended family/friends/church base, there was no energy to consider who was putting the ban on me. If somebody made that choice, I totally respect that. But I had no interest in trying to justify anything to anybody.

You didn't feel like you had to do any kind of damage control?

Grant: With so much public perception, that's like trying to put out a grass fire. And whenever I thought I was being dealt with unjustly, I would think, Some day, this is all going to play out in heaven, and everybody will see the full picture, and it won't even matter. That was always my thought process, just doing the things I felt I needed to do, and letting other people do what they felt they needed to do.


Source

Simply Complicated

With the release of Simple Things, Amy Grant is making a comeback of sorts. But recent years have been anything but simple for Grant, who went through a very public divorce and remarriage. Just how complicated have things been? We asked, and here's what she had to say …

With last week's release of Simple Things (Word), her first pop album in six years, one might say Amy Grant is back.

Not that she ever left us, of course. Since her last pop album, 1997's contemplative Behind the Eyes, Grant has given us more warm yuletide fare (1999's A Christmas to Remember) and a marvelous collection of hymns (2002's Legacy).

For a few of those years, Grant laid relatively low while her personal life took center stage—much of it in the tabloids. In the late '90s, she had a much publicized friendship—and rumored romance—with country musician Vince Gill, who had divorced in 1997. Then came Grant's 1999 divorce from singer/songwriter Gary Chapman, her husband of 16 years and the father of their three children. A year later, the Grant-Gill romance rumors were confirmed as they walked down the aisle. And a year after that, Grant and Gill had a baby girl, Corinna.

In the wake of Grant's divorce, many Christian media—including Christianity Today International—avoided doing Amy Grant stories. Many Christian radio stations and bookstores refused to play her music or sell her records. Disillusioned fans turned their backs on her. It was open season on Amy Grant, and many Christians picked up their weapons. Some of the barbs were cruel, some merely speculative.

In early 2000, Christianity Today magazine questioned Grant's high visibility less than a year after her divorce ("Take a Little Time Out," February 7, 2000). The article noted that "neither Grant nor the Christian marketing industry, in promoting her concerts and albums, has missed a beat." That story noted Grant ads in two other CTI magazines, Today's Christian Woman and, irony of ironies, Marriage Partnership. The article concluded: "Whether Amy Grant and Vince Gill have found happiness amid the pain of others is a matter between them and their families, their church communities, and the Lord. But her dressing up and our propelling her public ministry, without taking time for serious reflection, violates what should be the Christian conviction about the sanctity of marriage."

Grant was aware of the backlash in the Christian community, but says she was mostly unfazed by it. She says all of her emotional energy was spent recovering from the pain of a broken marriage, investing in her new marriage and, soon thereafter, a new baby.

Over the next couple of years, Grant became more open about her regrets concerning her divorce. In May 2002, CCM magazine asked Grant what she would say to those who felt betrayed, confused or angry because of her divorce and remarriage. Grant replied, "The first thing I would say is, 'I'm sorry.' I did the best I could, and in some arenas, my best was not good enough. I've made some bad choices." And in a press release accompanying Simple Things (Word), released on August 19, Grant said she's had to "grapple with the shame that you feel when you've been through a divorce."

Simple Things is Grant's 18th CD. The multiple Grammy and Dove award winner has sold over 22 million albums; 1991's Heart in Motion, seen by some as the best contemporary Christian album of all time, sold more than 5 million copies.


Source

Reminiscing with Amy III

It's funny you say that because you're currently on a major Christmas tour with costume changes!

Grant: It is a very beautiful and lush show that actually does have three costume changes. But that's more of a specialty show, not my own solo, non-seasonal show. The response [to the Christmas show] has been great. It's basically a three-hour evening between myself, my husband, and comedian Henry Cho. We work music into his comedy, laughing at family dysfunction and celebrating faith by reading the Christmas story from Luke.

I've also heard about your commitment to sending the show, via satellite, to our troops overseas.

Grant: We did a show in San Antonio that was really amazing. The military helped us do a satellite to Baghdad where during intermission we had eight families seated in the front row and one by one they were able to communicate with their loved ones using the cameras to see each other. It was so emotional and nobody moved even though it was the intermission. As long as we had the link, we figured we might as well have them talk face to face!

How does your family traditionally celebrate Christmas?

Grant: This year all the children are coming out on the last two shows of the Christmas tour once they are out of school. That's become one of our newer traditions, as it is a time to go shopping for one another. We have days off before the performances, so we're always running to a mall together, then getting back and watching Christmas movies on the bus. Come Christmas Eve, we usually go to my mom and dad's. Everybody brings one gift and then we play that game when we all steal it from each other. Some are really cool, others are useful and some are a bit out there. Last year my 13-year-old nephew got 100 pounds of dog food, and Vince wound up with a talking scale because he's the biggest in the family. Christmas Day we'll keep the fire going and all be together as a family again.

What's coming up for you in the new year?

Grant: We're actually a few sessions away from finishing a second hymns record that will come out in April. I loved doing the first, but this one really has a great spirit to it that will be different. Then we'll clean the slate and I'm going to write some new songs, so we'll just have to wait and see what comes of all that!


Source

Granting Wishes II

How did you catch NBC's eye for Three Wishes?

Grant: This happened in a very interesting way. My manager was in the hospital over Christmas for a month and was very sick. She only answered two e-mails during that entire time, and one was to NBC because she heard they were looking for a host for a new reality show. She had read the premise of the show and said, "Oh my goodness, this is right up Amy's alley!" I don't watch much TV and I'm not a big fan of reality shows, so she didn't tell me that she sent this. She answered the e-mail, saying she felt I would be great for this job. She sent them a press kit, including the very best video work I've ever done-like if I was on Oprah and made Oprah laugh. She tailor made this to really make me look fabulous-without telling me.

She got a call back from NBC, and then she called me and said, "I sent in your resume without asking you because I think you'd be great for this job. And they've called back and want you to come for an interview." I went to NBC and said, "I'm not a big TV watcher, but I love the idea of your show. Somebody's going to make a great host and whoever that host is will have a front row seat to some pretty amazing things. I'm throwing my hat in the ring and you pick whoever you want." That was about as emotional as the meeting was. Then she called back and said, "They want you to do it."

How did your previous TV appearances prepare you for the program?

Grant: We filmed the first show and it was kind of long hours, but my mom called and asked how it was going. I said, "I feel like so many extraneous things in my life prepared me to do this TV show. None of it feels like work." It all feels like stuff I've done in other parts of my life-meeting with children, talking to people, going to hospitals. I think about all the houses I've built with Habitat for Humanity, and how many kids I've already met with Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now they're just doing it with a TV show to try and encourage people to get involved with their next door neighbor and be a better part of their community, and I think, "Oh my gosh, I feel like I'm following a bread crumb trail." It really felt like a gift to me at this point in life.

What's the basic premise of the show?

Grant: Each episode so far is based in a small town. Basically we're there for a week. The first day of the week we set up a wish tent and we invite people to come and bring their wishes. I get on the radio that morning, I go up and down the main street. We pick small towns just because it's possible to show up and actually have a presence. If we were going to show up in Chicago, people would go, "Oh great, a bigger traffic jam. Please leave." We solicit wishes and choose the ones we're going to grant. Fortunately I'm not part of that process because it would just be way too much emotional pressure.

The first day is a long day. I bet we saw 500 people that stood in line waiting to say, "My name is so and so and my wish is X, Y, Z." I knew we were onto something really special. I find myself getting a lump in my throat, because I realize most of us want the capacity to give back to people who've meant something to us. That sort of feeling prevails with the entire week. It's not Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; you're not redoing the world. But it's people talking to each other. Every week we'll pick these three wishes and then filming the process of granting those wishes.

Are there talks of continuing Three Wishes for another season?

Grant: Right now, I think they've ordered nine shows so that's as far as I'm looking down the road.

What advice would you give those hoping to have their wish granted on the program?

Grant: It sure doesn't hurt if you've got five minutes on your hands to log on and wish for something. It needs to be connected to a small town, but most of us have small town roots somewhere. That's just the way they've angled this show right now and there's no magic formula. Like with any reality show, the magic is what happens once you get there.

Source

Granting Wishes

Amy Grant never seems to slow down. After releasing a CD and DVD last year comprising her Greatest Hits 1986-2004, the singer hit the studio for her twentieth album, Rock of Ages … Hymns & Faith. The follow-up to 2002's Legacy … Hymns & Faith (which recently reached gold certification) features production by husband Vince Gill and frequent collaborator Brown Bannister. But now Grant has another trick up her sleeve-in the television department. This fall she'll host NBC's Three Wishes, a reality show in which a team of experts helps make contestants' hopes and dreams come true. We recently caught up with Grant via phone between the show's tour stops.

Why another hymns record so soon?

Amy Grant: Well, there's just a timelessness to a hymns record. It doesn't matter if someone discovers it next week or five years from now or twenty years from now. For any other kind of music, you're basically trying to get things on the radio. I felt like [2003's pop album] Simple Things was a great creative effort, but I didn't feel like all the pieces were firing at the same time to make it do well. What I don't want to have to worry about right now is any kind of radio success. I thought, if it doesn't seem like there's an open window for what I'm doing in the radio world, I'd rather do this pet project that I started with Legacy and invest my time and energy there. I think those records are beautiful; I think the hymns are beautiful.

My mom and dad are both in their 70s, and I feel fortunate that they're still alive and well. My mom came over today to visit her grandkids and just said, "Amy, I play this record all the time, and it's my favorite thing you've ever done." It means more to me right now to make a record that means a great deal to my mom than it does to go headlong pursuing radio. Nobody could've told me at 25 I would say that, but hands down this means more to me right now than having done something else.

What are the similarities and differences between Legacy and Rock of Ages?

Grant: I think Rock of Ages is a little more developed musically. We took longer to do it [and] I feel like the production was bolder. Even though they're both are collections of hymns, I didn't want it to be the exact same experience as Legacy. The record starts with "Anywhere with Jesus," which has kind of a bluesy feel, but instead of just sticking its toe in the water, it goes way in. Then the record ends with "Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go" and that's more of a long saxophone solo. So, just a little more production extremes as opposed to Legacy, which is a little more sparse.

How did you decide what songs to include the second time around?

Grant: I have a lot of songbooks around my house, hymnals, songbooks from the church I grew up in, and a couple of favorite publications I've purchased. I just flip through those and make a list, and then talk with Vince and Brown about the list. I made a master list of about 30 songs-each one was a song I grew up singing-and then we just tried to figure out musical directions to take the songs.

Source

Lead Me On … Again III

When can we expect your next proper studio CD?

Grant: As soon as Christmas is over, I plan to go into the studio in January and not come out until it's done. All the songs have been written, so it shouldn't take that long!

Speaking of the holidays, how did you choose both the old and new songs to be included on The Christmas Collection?

Grant: The record company actually let me choose the songs. I sat at the computer, loaded in all three earlier records, and picked the ones that had moved me most—the ones that were executed well and married well to each other. I can't say that every one of those standing alone makes the most sense going from heavy production to a stripped down sound to an orchestra to a cappella, but I tried to create a musical journey that felt complete and had all my favorite songs on there.


The label just requested two new songs, but I came up with four, so they said, "Thank you, we'll take all four!" I took two unoriginal songs performed on past Christmas tours but never recorded, one being a Barbra Streisand-styled version of "Jingle Bells" and the other being a song I sang with CeCe Winans on a CBS special years ago "Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep." "Baby It's Christmas" is one of the original songs I wrote with Vince, which is a romantic Christmas Eve song that's kind of on the steamy side, but also a joke because I don't think anyone's really ready for romance after being so exhausted from the holiday experience! And I love the message of "I Need a Silent Night," which speaks for itself and has an appearance by my seven-year-old daughter Corrina.

Can you give us a preview of the Christmas tour?

Grant: Vince and I will be touring for the first time without a symphony, but will have a full band and horn section, the Sapphire Blues Horns. It will be all Christmas material and I'll probably be choosing songs from the 18 on The Christmas Collection. My guess is Vince and I will probably be out together the whole time, though we haven't officially decided yet. It's going to be conversational and a ton of fun with some songs stripped down and others where everybody plays with tons of energy.

How does your family plan to celebrate the holidays in spite of all this traveling?

Grant: We've been traveling a lot this year, but the last two shows are in Nashville, which means we'll be home the week of Christmas. It's awfully nice to get to see all the different lights in different cities, and once our kids are out of school, they've always chosen to live on the bus for a few days to end the Christmas tour with us and do some shopping. That's just the downside of a musician's life—we have to travel to do our job. But we've done a lot at home trying to kind of shore everybody up since we're gone so much this fall and winter.


Source

Lead Me On … Again III

What was it like calling them out of the blue to pitch the anniversary tour?

Grant: Well they all have jobs now, [many of them touring with other artists], but I simply asked if there was any chance they'd do a short tour with me in honor of this record. I started by calling [guitarist] Jerry McPherson, who's currently playing with Faith Hill, and he said, "I can't believe this because Faith is taking the fall off!" Then I called [guitarist] Chris Rodriguez, who's been touring with Keith Urban for years, and he said, "I cannot believe you're calling me because I was just talking about you and our days of touring together!" Then he told me Keith was taking the fall off because he and Nicole [Kidman] were having a baby, so he'd be available too.

Person after person kept signing on, except for [percussionist] Terry McMillan, who died and I had spoken at his funeral, and [vocalist] Donna McElroy, who teaches at Berklee [but will still appear on select dates]. Then my older kids' father [and ex-husband] Gary Chapman played bass and sang [on the original tour]—even though we get along really well, I felt like that was a little bit of a stretch for all of us. But we have Mike Brignardello, who was the original bassist on the record, which still helps to bring this all full circle.


That's incredible that nearly everyone was available. What was the chemistry like when you first started rehearsing together?

Grant: The reunion between all these musicians was just unbelievable. When we walked in on the first day, we said, "Let's not kill ourselves and just work on three songs a day," working from 10am to 5pm. But by 11am, we played the first three perfectly just like we had played them every night 20 years ago! So there was tons of laughing, with some tweaking with the background vocals. So far, everyone who's walked in says we sound just like the record!

Is there any footage of your original outing that could be a DVD someday? If not, will this tour be filmed?

Grant: We actually had a film crew [the first time], but it was on film, not video. And we only had a three-camera shoot, and one of them was out of focus the whole time. It was very disorganized. Everything's a possibility right now, but with the economy so bad right now, I'm not sure how much wiggle room we've got for creative things. There's not a plan for a DVD at this time, but I do have a good friend in the DC area who does commercials, and she said, "By any chance would you want me to bring up some hi-definition cameras and get some behind scenes footage?" I'm all for that!

Do you feel like Lead Me On as an album has adapted additional poignancy in light of current events?

Grant: I know hearing them sure has revived my faith and hope. Especially in a season where we're all overwhelmed with rhetoric, it's nice to hear something straightforward and honest. My hope is whoever can swing a concert ticket shows up and we can build them up and create a ripple effect to go and encourage people in their world. We're doing this tour on such a smaller scale then we did twenty years ago. Back then we'd play in one neighborhood to a crowd of 20,000. Now we're going back to the same neighborhood, playing a church that seats 3,600 people. That's just the natural bell curve of the artist draw these days, but the music and creativity have never been about size of audience. It's been about the impact of the song, whether that's sitting in your room singing to yourself or one other person. If we could do it for free, we would, but we're at least trying to keep overhead down. We have two buses pulling a trailer and we're all trying to make ends meet. I do think music is so powerful and it can have such an impact, especially in hard times.

What type of set list should fans expect from this show?

Grant: I'm looking at it right now, actually, and nothing that was recorded after 1988 is going to be played. Part of that is because it's such a unique opportunity to play the old songs—I don't feel like I've ever had that freedom. It's nice to have a rest from the next twenty years and the songs that tend to be expected during every set list. We have pulled some oldie moldies out of the closet, and then depending on the night, if the crowd wants to stick around after the proper set list played, I might ask, "You wanna hear something new?" And if one goes over well, we might do a second.

Do you think you'll ever do this type of anniversary tour behind Heart In Motion, especially because it was your best-selling CD?

Grant: I think not and the reason is because I don't feel like those songs have the same emotional pull. I feel this is a one-time deal.

Source

Lead Me On … Again II

Looking back on the project, what over-arching message were you hoping to deliver?

Grant: Every album is just a collection of songs. I've never started a record saying, "What's the theme going to be?" It becomes what it is at the sum of its parts, and I felt those elements were honesty, imperfection, hope, and grit.

What are the songs you've received the most feedback on?

Grant: Well, I can tell you the songs I haven't gotten comments on and those are only two: "Sure Enough" and "If You Have To Go Away," both of which were just sort of funny and cheerful. But every other one has been talked about, like "Say Once More," with countless people telling me they've played it at their wedding. "Faithless Heart" has also brought in a lot of comments, and while I always favor a song speaking for itself, I chose to show some of the dark sides and honest sides of Christianity, which I think makes the good news better.

In 1988 you had already branched out to the mainstream by collaborating with Peter Cetera, but had yet to record the major crossover album Heart In Motion. What would you say the secular barometer was for Lead Me On?

Grant: I'm not really sure, though I think my credibility as a songwriter went up. I know one of most important relationships in work settings was with David Anderle—he was the head of A&R at A&M Records who had produced Judy Collins and was a real encouragement to Sting. He had been a creative backbone of the company for a long time, so when I walked in, I asked him, "What was your first experience with Christianity?" He said, "I'm Jewish and my first recollection of anything Christian was seeing anti- Semitism with a man-sized cross being burned in my front yard." There was something about making this record side-by-side with a man who'd seen the ugly side of Christian convictions and I was just affected by that. I had no agenda with him, but I loved his input and wanted him to be proud, which meant I didn't want any clichés. We still keep in touch to this day.

Do you feel like the remastering has brought new luster to this project?

Grant: I feel like we were able to rediscover the clarity of the original recording. I don't know what exactly happens to masters [over time], but they get dull sounding. They lose their sparkle and their definition. When I signed with EMI, part of their investment with me and my catalogue was to go back and blow dust off the old songs.

How did you come up with the bonus material for the double disc re-release?

Grant: EMI came to me with the idea and asked if I'd be willing do some bonus tracks, since it would benefit from something new on it. Well, I hadn't thought about them in years, but back in the summer of 1989, I paid to have two concerts recorded as multi-track recordings—I had never done anything with them. Back then, I was very aware of the musicianship of those I was touring with, all of whom were individually good and had such synergy together. I went to the label and said, "I don't even know if these old tapes are still playable, but have I got bonus for you!" We had to [take great care in transferring the audio], but then I got the call from the engineer who said they worked. Sure enough, I was transported back twenty years. It electrified something inside me and reignited a passion. It was like it turned back the clock spiritually, emotionally, and even physically like a jolt of lightening. This all happened as I was getting ready to go on spring break with my kids, but I was like a crazy woman trying to track down the band members without a tour in place!


Source

Lead Me On … Again

Amy Grant's Lead Me On is now twenty years old, but it's not an out-of-date relic. In fact, the ambitious Christian rock collection has since become one of the genre's most celebrated projects, introducing the singer/songwriter to wider audiences on its subsequent arena tour. Fans of the album the first time around are no doubt experiencing déjà vu these days, starting with a twentieth anniversary re-release (featuring a remastered version of the original album, plus bonus tracks that include recordings from the 1989 tour), followed by a concert celebration that reunites Grant with many of original musicians from the classic album and tour. The month after that, Grant is teaming up with hubby Vince Gill for a Christmas tour in support of her newly released holiday best-of, The Christmas Collection (Sparrow).

Did you ever anticipate Lead Me On would have this lasting an impact twenty years down the road?

Amy Grant: Oh, no! I don't think I would've ever presumed to think that. I didn't work any harder on that record than any other. Life felt pretty magical at that time and was a little simpler then because I was just starting my family. [As you get older], life kind of gets layered up with every child and their commitments, so you have a little more head space for creativity [when you're just starting a family].

Why do you think the album has held up so well?

Grant: Sonically, aside from a little more echo than I would prefer, the songs were so honest from a production standpoint. I felt Brown [Bannister] was always trying to shy away from gimmicks or synthesized sounds, trying to capture very honest songs in the most organic and timeless way possible.

Looking back on the project, what over-arching message were you hoping to deliver?

Grant: Every album is just a collection of songs. I've never started a record saying, "What's the theme going to be?" It becomes what it is at the sum of its parts, and I felt those elements were honesty, imperfection, hope, and grit.


Source