SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD

     Amy Grant describes SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD (2010, EMI) as a "collection of songs about the journey of life."  The songs on this collection were written between 1982 and 2009.  Four of the songs are from 1997.  Amy writes: "I was asking a lot of questions about truth and reality in those last couple of years of my first marriage.  With so much uncertainty in my life, music was a safe place to explore the landscape."  Three of the four tracks from this period are co-written by Wayne Kirkpatrick.  'Every Road' is mellow, and like so many of Grant's songs over the years, could be addressed to God or a human love interest.  'Somewhere down the Road' is about the things we don't understand, and assures the listener that one day we will have answers to our questions.  'Come into my World' is a rough recording featuring just Amy and a guitar.  It is about someone whose life is falling apart and expresses a desire for companionship during the process.
     Six of the songs are from 2009.  The album opener, 'Better than a Hallelujah' is inspirational and speaks of how God wants communion with us: "We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody/Beautiful the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts/Are better than a hallelujah." 'Overnight' is a duet with her then seventeen year old daughter, Sarah Chapman, who has a pleasant voice.  It is a song for the impatient and the weary: "If it all just happened overnight/You would never learn to believe what you cannot see."  'Find what you're looking for', co-written by Mindy Smith is a tune about how to treat each other: "Haven't we all learned the best life lessons/By falling and falling down hard/If we're looking for somebody's failures/We won't have to look very far."  Two tracks, 'Hard Times' and 'Third World Woman' would have fit nicely on Amy's LEAD ME ON record.
     Also included on SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD are a 2010 version of 'Arms of Love', originally recorded on 1982's AGE TO AGE, and 2001's 'Imagine/Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus' from LEGACY...HYMNS AND FAITH.
     Amy Grant brings a seasoned artistry to this CD.  She also utilizes many talented performers including Vince Gill, Greg Morrow, and Chris Rodriguez.  I'm giving this light pop release a 4.5 stars out of 5.  Now 50 years old, I look forward to what she does next!