Search - Amy Grant :: Simple Things

Not stellar, but definitely good

faience | Murrells Inlet, SC USA | 07/08/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When this album came out in 2003 it was kind of a departure for Grant. It's been criticized as being a relatively weak effort.



And there's no denying that it's a very "small" album. By that I mean that it lacks any cosmic focus. Even Grant's lightest-weight albums have some serious songs about humankind -- creation, our place in it, big questions like: where is God when a child is abused.



Simple Things, on the other hand, is entirely a "you and me" album. Every song can be heard as a strictly one-on-one relationship song. One of them, "Beautiful" is actually about a family that's faced the tragedy of watching a child die of an unstoppable illness, but unless you know that background the listener hears a you-and-me song.



That said, it has too many really excellent moments to justify dismissing it. "Eye to Eye" faces a breakup and the need for common ground and reconciliation head on. "Out in the Open" depicts healing and renewal outstandingly. A similar theme, but a deeper depiction of the pain of failure comes in "Innocence Lost." And the superb "After the Fire" (another version of which appeared earlier only as a hidden track on a limited edition EP) is one fans have been waiting for. It's wonderfully written and recorded, with a simple guitar and Grant's voice close to the microphone, giving it an intimate feel.



Good moments, even if they aren't great ones, come in "Looking for You" and in "Happy" - an infectious expression of a simple idea, that of just wanting to make the one you love happy. "I Don't Know Why" has a kind of ordinary tune but wonderful lyrics. The dramatic "Beautiful" sounds --just my opinion-- out of place among these acoustic tunes, but on its own merits, it's a powerful song.



The album's only truly weak moments are the title song -- too lightweight and with a silly arrangement -- and the arrhythmic "Touch" which should be sexy but sounds jarring, with its varying time signatures that toss you out of the song each time you almost get "into" it. Some people love it anyway, and it deserves good marks for being honest and musically risky.



Bottom line, the album has a number of moments that will WoW! you, even though, when it's over, you'll feel like it was nice but not a Wowzer. And repeated listenings made it grow on me.



The worst fault of the original 2003 issue was the compression, and now with this remaster it has a fuller, richer sound. So get the remaster.





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