The Sacramento Bee
Published 7:31 AM PST Sunday, Sep. 29, 2002
By Chris Macias -- Bee Pop Music Writer
Amy Grant, who will perform her Christian music Monday at Trinity Life Center, says: "It's felt magical to not have sung these songs in so long. They're old but I'm not tired of them. Word Records
Amy Grant is the rare singer to cross over from the Christian music world to bona fide pop stardom. She was the first contemporary Christian artist to sell more than a million copies (with 1985's "Age to Age"), and she also landed Top 40 hits in the early 1990s. With such feel-good hits as "Baby Baby," "That's What Love Is For" and "Every Heartbeat," Grant emerged as pop music's queen of the squeaky-clean.
Now Grant has gone back to basics with her latest album, "Legacy ... Hymns & Faith." Unlike her slick mainstream fare, "Legacy ... Hymns & Faith" is a down-home treatment of traditional church music, tinged with an easy country feel.
Grant's personal life has also been transformed. In 2000, she married country star Vince Gill, and the two have joined forces in the recording studio (Gill co-produced and performed on Grant's new album).
Still, Grant's marriage to Gill caused a stir in the Christian community. Grant had been divorced from her previous husband, singer Gary Chapman, for only a year before marrying Gill. Grant then became a target of anti-divorce advocates, some of whom picketed her performances.
Still, Grant is pressing forward with new recording projects and a tour. On Monday, she will perform at the Trinity Life Center.
Here's what she had to say in a phone interview from Minneapolis:
Q: Apart from your annual holiday shows, this is your first extended tour in a few years. How is it being back on the road?
A: It felt really awkward the first two or three nights, just because ... well, I don't know why. Ever since, it's felt great. You kind of have to get your rhythm back. I think I just talked too much the first couple of nights. I was driving myself crazy.
Q: Were you just trying to get the jitters out?
A: I think so, yeah. And then it helps figuring out a good flow for the evening. I like to change the setup every night, but for a while there, the drummer's waiting on my cue to start every song. It was awful (chuckles). Then it was like, let's just play the first five songs without quitting and get some speed.
But all in all, it's felt magical to not have sung these songs in so long. They're old, but I'm not tired of them.
Q: You're playing in a mix of churches and theaters on your current tour. Does singing in a church bring something special to your material, especially since you have a new album of hymns?
A: It's been a nice combination of nice theaters, funky places and churches. All the places are intimate. It doesn't feel more intimate when we're in a church, but we were trying to find venues that had a very relaxed feel.
There are pros and cons to both. Usually when we play a theater, there are more artistic things to work with. The lighting tends to be better in theaters. But the neat thing about churches is, a lot of times, the way they're laid out. They probably feel a little more casual than the theaters.
Q: In terms of your new album, what prompted you to revisit your roots?
A: Well, I've always loved hymns. But the idea to do this project was not my idea. In fact, I was just about three songs from having completed a record of all new songs. My management company said, there's been a lot of changes in your life over the last several years, so as you're looking into completing 25 years of making music, why not go back and celebrate your roots?
When they first started talking about doing a hymns record, I think part of me was feeling like that's what people did when they didn't have a viable career left. You get an infomercial and torment them until they call the 1-800 number and buy your disc. That was the cynical side of me.
Q: But these are also songs that, I'm sure, bring back lots of memories.
A: When they said "celebrate your roots," I loved that. And I thought, I can do this from a very honest place. It was a great project to do with Vince (Gill) because here we were in our 40s, trying to go back and share some history. For me, it felt like a spiritual mind-meld to go back and have him immerse himself in all these songs that had been so life-shaping for me. It was a great thing for our marriage.
Q: Compared to your pop material, "Hymns and Faith" has much more stripped-down instrumentation and production. Would you like to revisit this format on a future album?
A: I did enjoy it. A lot of the approach on "Legacy" reminded me of early Eagles. We did "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in kind of an Eagles style. There was something really timeless about that production. I don't expect much of this record to end up on any radio station. But I thought maybe a few years down the road, it might be nice to treat some other songs that way.
Q: What about the almost-completed album you spoke of earlier? Is it finished now?
A: It is, it's done. It's called "Simple Things" and it's slated for an (early 2003) release.
Q: Is Vince featured on the album?
A: He played some and sang a little bit. He actually produced two of the tracks. But there's not like a duet or anything like that.
Q: Overall, how do you compare today's Christian music industry to that when you started? Are record companies more willing to spend money on Christian artists?
A: It was a lean machine back when I first started. I'm just glad I'm not getting a record deal now. The talent pool is deep. Like in every genre of music, you can certainly find a lot of bad stuff. But there are some great artists right now making music in the contemporary Christian world. And because of that, yes, there's more money.
At some point, there maybe was a feeling that if you really were going to make it, you went for something mainstream. If you couldn't handle the mainstream, you'd maybe have to resort to a smaller genre. I think that's really changed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Writer
---------------------------
The Bee's Chris Macias can be reached at (916) 321-1253 or cmacias@sacbee.com.
Amy Grant
WITH: Fernando Ortega opening
WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday
WHERE: Trinity Life Center, 5225 Hillsdale Blvd.
TICKETS: $28.50
PHONE: (916)348-4673
TICKETS: Also available at local Christian book stores, including Berean Christian Stores, 2659 Alta Arden, (916) 488-6633; Christian Book Center, 10877 Olson Drive, (916) 638-4831; and Bible House, 1601 Douglas Blvd., Roseville, (916) 784-3111.
More Articles