Amy Grant returns with a plethora of NEW music ! Somewhere Down The Road is a unique album full of 6 brand new songs, 2 previously unreleased songs, a new recoding of a classic song "Arms Of Love", and rounded out with 3 o... more »f her best loved story-songs. The theme for the album is stories & journeys. Amy has always been a great storyteller and many of her most impactful songs have come from her own journey as she sings about the honesty of life, it's joys and struggles, and ultimately the hope she has found in faith and love. The songs on Somewhere Down The Road read like journal entries that will resonate with anyone who grapples with wanting answers to life's toughest questions. Topics range from being honest with yourself & God (Better Than A Hallelujah), waiting for answers that come over time (Overnight), and learning to listen to people before `fixing' them (Come Into My World), resilience in the face of fear (Unafraid), walking in someone elses shoes (Third World Woman), assurance that you are not forgotten (Arms Of Love NEW RECORDING) and much more. There is something for any Amy Grant fan on Somewhere Down The Road from brand new recordings, previously unreleased studio recordings, concert favorites that have never been released, and new versions of classic Amy songs.« less
Amy Grant returns with a plethora of NEW music ! Somewhere Down The Road is a unique album full of 6 brand new songs, 2 previously unreleased songs, a new recoding of a classic song "Arms Of Love", and rounded out with 3 of her best loved story-songs. The theme for the album is stories & journeys. Amy has always been a great storyteller and many of her most impactful songs have come from her own journey as she sings about the honesty of life, it's joys and struggles, and ultimately the hope she has found in faith and love. The songs on Somewhere Down The Road read like journal entries that will resonate with anyone who grapples with wanting answers to life's toughest questions. Topics range from being honest with yourself & God (Better Than A Hallelujah), waiting for answers that come over time (Overnight), and learning to listen to people before `fixing' them (Come Into My World), resilience in the face of fear (Unafraid), walking in someone elses shoes (Third World Woman), assurance that you are not forgotten (Arms Of Love NEW RECORDING) and much more. There is something for any Amy Grant fan on Somewhere Down The Road from brand new recordings, previously unreleased studio recordings, concert favorites that have never been released, and new versions of classic Amy songs.
As an Amy Grant fan, I greatly looked forward to this release, which is a combination of new recordings, B-sides, and three songs off of Amy's Behind the Eyes album. Unfortunately, the only song I like much (aside from the BTE cuts) is "Overnight," which sounds pleasantly like recent Brit-pop from someone like Cheryl Cole or the Sugababes. "Better Than a Hallelujah," the first single, is okay, but it's nothing great. I can only hope that Amy's next release will be better.
CD Reviews
Amy Grant [Somewhere Down The Road]
Kevin R. Davis | Perkasie, PA | 03/30/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Amy Grant returns with Somewhere Down The Road, a unique album full of brand new songs, previously unreleased songs, re-recordings of classics, and rounded out with 4 of her best loved story-songs. I've been listening to Amy Grant for over 25 years as I first heard "El-Shaddai," "Thy Word" and "Tennessee Christmas" when I was in high school in 1985. Like many avid Christian music collectors, I agree that 1988's Lead Me On was one of the most influential albums in the history of Christian music. Amy truly paved the way for all female artists and today I hear her influence in some of my favorite artists including Sara Groves and Bethany Dillon, who released two of my top 10 albums of 2009. So, where does that put Amy today in 2010? That's the main question I've been asking myself as I've been thoroughly enjoying her first new album since 2003's Simple Things.
For me, the beginning of the album completely reminds me why I'm such a long-time fan of Amy's music, as first song and single "Better Than A Hallelujah" addresses the topic of being honest with yourself & God. Her vocals are still stellar and the poignant message behind this song has me hooked again, similar to Amy's classic songs "Lead Me On" and "Saved By Love," both in catchiness and transparency. Next song "Overnight" really grabbed me as Amy's vocals are complemented by her first ever duet with her 17 year old daughter Sarah Chapman. The song is about learning to wait for answers to questions and is a wonderful song with great relevance in passing down advice from mother to daughter. Having 3 young daughters myself, who all love Amy's music, this is a great new song that really moves me.
There are a few previously recorded songs including "Every Road," "Somewhere Down The Road," MercyMe's "Imagine" and a new recording of the classic "Arms Of Love." All of the songs fit seamlessly into the fabric of the overall album, which has a folk music feel and is very enjoyable. If you're looking for circa 1991's Heart In Motion type songs like "Baby Baby" or "Every Heartbeat," you won't find them here.
The rest of the album includes some other new songs, highlighted by "Unafraid," which may be my favorite overall new song as Amy sings about her own children and her mother with a great reminder that "love can make, love will make, make you unafraid." It is a gorgeous song and really sets the tone for the album. The remaining new songs include "Hard Times," "Find What You're Looking For," written for Mary Elizabeth Chapman, the grandmother of Amy's 3 oldest children and "Third World Woman." Previously unreleased "What Is The Chance of That" and "Come Into My World," which is about learning to listen to people before `fixing' them, also fit nicely into the overall theme of the album: stories & journeys. Amy has always been a great storyteller and many of her most impactful songs have come from her own journey as she sings about the honesty of life, its joys and struggles, and ultimately the hope she has found in faith and love.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I truly enjoy every song on the album, especially new recordings "Better Than A Hallelujah," "Overnight," "Unafraid" and "Come Into My World." If you were fond of Amy's 1997 recording Behind The Eyes, one of my all-time favorite albums, then you will certainly want to listen to Somewhere Down The Road. For me, the way that Amy's albums all reflect her stage in life is what continues to further establish her all-time legacy which includes over 25 million album sales, an incredible feat in any genre."
Come into her world...
Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 03/30/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been a fan of Amy Grant ever since her album "My Father's eyes" on which she showed the world that Christian music could be well produced and contemporary sounding without compromising on the message of the Gospel.
"Somewhere down the road" is a meditative largely acoustic affair, far removed from her Pop/Rock sound of albums like "Unguarded", "Lead me on" or "Heart in motion", and comprising new songs, a few old ones re-worked, and an unreleased track (the beautiful "Come into my world" in which she invites us into her normal and cluttered life if we are brave enough, accompanied by guitar only).
Her dusky voice is as rich and great sounding as ever, as the re-worked "Arms of love" (with fuller instrumentation and harmonies here) shows when compared to the original from 1982's "Age to age".
"Overnight" finds her trading verses with her 17 year old daughter Sarah Chapman, while she sings of resilience on "Hard times" (as hard times come to everyone), while "What is the chance of that" is a gritty Rocker. These songs remind me of songs from "Behind the eyes".
Other standouts are the tender titletrack (originally on "Behind the eyes"), the Blues-tinged "Third world woman" (in which she imagines what it would be like be one, backed by some great guitar work; this is my favourite song), "Find what you're looking for" (with lovely quivery guitars, in which she tells us "there's so much good in the worst of us, so much bad in the best of us" so it doesn't make sense for any of us to criticize the rest of us), and the beautiful cover of MercyMe's "I can only imagine" done here as "Imagine" (with a few stanzas changed) as a medley with "Sing the wondrous love of Jesus". This medley appeared on her beautiful collection of hymns "Legacy... Hymns and Faith".
The album cover is designed to look like a photo album with a painting on the cover done by Amy. This is an intimate and heartfelt collection that uplifts."
Better than I could have hoped for...
James R. Waddell | Great Falls, Mt | 03/30/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Like a letter from an old friend...I couldn't wait until I got home to sit down and delve into this journey with Amy...I can't say enough good things about this record. The new songs, Better Than A Hallelujah, Overnight (a stunning duet with Amy's daughter Sarah Chapman...the first time Amy has dueted with any of her children), Hard Times, Third World Woman and Find What You're Looking For (co-written by folk singer Mindy Smith and the folksy feel of the song is perfectly suited for Amy's rasp and honest delivery) are such a natural progression of "Amy Grant" music...they fit into Amy's catolog so well, I find it hard to articulate. The "new to cd" songs, Unafraid, What Is The Chance Of That and Come Into My World are long-awaited and fit into the fabric of this tapestry that Amy has woven so beautifully...Arms Of Love, for any Amy fan a favorite from the early 80's, is by far the better of the two versions of this song. Gone is any tinge of the 80's sound and instead a beautiful almost prayer-like song that is now nestled in an acoustic bed by Vince Gill. Jenny Gill joins her father and sings a haunting harmony. Also included on this CD are 3 of Amy's best-loved songs from Behind The Eyes and Legacy. Every Road, Somewhere Down The Road and Imagine fit in with the rest of these songs, it's almost as if it were meant to be...I truly enjoyed every word in this letter from an old friend, I feel like I know her heart a little better and got a little much-needed insight into my heart at the same time. Don't hesitate...buy this record, if you ever were an Amy Grant fan...this is a glorious return to form."
The Amy I remember is back!
Amyliz | Arlington, MA United States | 03/31/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been an Amy Grant fan since 1987, hearing first her greatest hits collection "The Collection", and then her ground-breaking release "Lead Me On". From there, I gradually got to know Amy though all of her other albums (including two wonderful live albums) before Heart in Motion was released. THe only two albums of her I don't own (besides the hymns projects) are her Greatest Hits and Simple Things.
Every album of Amy's is different from any other album of Amy's, which is something I've always loved about her work. This is no exception. And this collection has the special quality of letting us bask in the Amy we know (Somewhere Down the Road, Every Road) and remember (Arms of Love), and also shares the new Amy, a woman of great faith who has been though a lot of life. I loved her song Arms of Love when it was first released - it is a beautiful recording. But, just as I expected, this new version reflects the quiet confidence of a woman with tested, hard-earned faith. Gone is the sweet, naive sound of a very young girl who just loves God with all her heart, and now you hear a mature woman who sings with more strength, but at the same time is more understated...the less earnest delivery actually strikes me as a stronger statement of faith.
My three favorites among the new and never-before-released songs are "Better than a Hallelujah", "Unafraid" and "Third World Woman". The first of these, not written by Amy, very well could have. This seems a message that would resonate very strongly with her, given her recent trials of divorce, losing a dear friends, and watching her parents grow old. And it is a wonderful message - that what God loves most is when we cry out to Him for help and solace. "Unafraid" is just heart-breakingly beautiful. Amy reflects on the unconditional love she has found with her husband Vince Gill, the joys and fears that come with watching your children grow up, and the love and respect she has for her mother's unfaltering faith in the face of growing old and facing death. It is so easy to relate to these experiences, it is a tear-jerker. And "Third World Woman" reminds me some of "THe Power" in its delivery. It is wonderful when Grant comments on the wider world she is a citizen of. She did so on "Children of the World" and this time, she is reflecting on the blessings she has living affluently in an affluent country as both a woman and a mom. She brings to our attention, the plight of women around the globe who fear not only for themselves and their survival, but more importantly for that of their children.
"Come into My World" and "What YOu're LOoking FOr" remind us, quite intimately, that we never truly know what another's life is like, until we've lived in their world. It is honest and beautiful. "I can Only Imagine" and "Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus" are lovely, and add a nice personal note in terms of what matters most to her, although they don't hit me at least, as powerfully as the reset of the album.
This is a wonderful way to reminisce about the music of Amy Grant we've loved for a long time, and enjoy it anew, *and* to hear new sounds and messages from her. It is just beautiful. No fan of Amy Grant's will be disappointed, and I would expect it will gain her new fans as well."
Blessing on the Go!
Sojourner | Suisun City, CA United States | 03/31/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just downloaded Amy's new album onto my iPhone. It is a blessing to hear and take with in my car, at home, and when out and about. I travel a bit for work and it is great to have such wonderful, inspiring music wherever I am. I have been a fan of Amy's for many, many years. This is one of her best albums ever...especially BETTER THAN A HALELLUJAH!"