25 Album I Can't Live Without: #3
Amy Grant, "Lead Me On"
The Christian music of the ‘80s played a major role in my younger years, and much of that had to do with Amy Grant. I had a massive crush on her, and I cherish her “classic” music today.
Amy brought Christian music into the mainstream. She began to catch the attention of the broader music industry with her success in the early ‘80s, and Myrrh Records decided to partner with A&M to promote her music outside the Christian bubble. “Find a Way” from the “Unguarded” album became the first single from a Christian record label to make the top 40.
Three years after the rock and synth-pop influences of “Unguarded,” Amy and her producer and co-writer decided to strip the music back and draw on more acoustic sounds for “Lead Me On,” which became her masterpiece.
The album kicks off with “1974,” Amy’s story of coming to faith as a teenager.
The title cut looks through history to see how people turned to faith in God in times of crisis.
For “Shadows,” Amy teamed up with Don & Karen Paris of the alt-pop band The Innocence Mission as songwriters.
“Saved by Love” tells the story of a young woman whose faith is central to her life.
Amy bares her soul in “Faithless Heart,” confessing that she faces the temptation to stray in her marriage.
Side two (on cassette or vinyl) kicks off with a pair of songs by outside writers. Janis Ian and Kye Fleming’s “What About the Love” looks at people who are struggling and wonders, “What about the love of God?” in these situations.
Jimmy Webb’s “If These Walls Could Speak” is a tender look at family life and the power of honesty in relationships.
Amy draws on heartland rock and a gospel choir for the soaring “All Right,” which is a declaration of trust in God.
“Wait for the Healing” is one of two songs that only appeared on CD and digital formats. It adds a progressive rock sheen to the cycle of songs.
The other CD/digital-only song, “If You Have to Go Away,” comes from the point of view of a woman whose husband is a touring singer and musician.
“Say Once More” is a song about getting to know the ones you love better.
Interestingly enough, Amy recorded a totally different song with that same title eight years earlier.
“Lead Me On” didn’t make the dent in mainstream music the way “Unguarded” did, but it won Amy a Grammy and was a best seller in the Christian marketplace. It often lands at or near the top of the list of best Christian music albums of all time — I think it always belongs at the top of such lists.
Photo credit: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons