Travel Somewhere Down The Road With Amy Grant On March 30

Amy Grant is one of the most positive and inspirational influences in music, from her strong faith to her refreshingly open-minded and compassionate love for all God's creations, without feeling the need to judge or condemn those who live or believe differently. To Grant, all are welcome in the House of God. Her life has been a series of journeys, through searching for faith, keeping faith despite life's hardships, and teaching faith to others to help them through their own tribulations.



On March 30, 2010, Grant will be releasing her new album Somewhere Down The Road which is actually not a "new" release, rather it is more a hybrid of original songs, new versions of popular favourites, and selected classic songs from Grant's repertoire. The six new songs are: "Better Than A Hallelujah," "Overnight," "Unafraid," "Hard Times," "What Is The Chance Of That," and "Come Into My World." We are also treated to two revamped songs from Grant's catalogue, "Arms Of Love" from Age To Age (1982) and "Oh How The Years Go By" from House Of Love (1994.) The album is completed with four unenhanced additions from classic albums: the first three of which ("Somewhere Down The Road," "Every Road," and "Cry A River") come from Behind The Eyes (1997), and "Do You Remember The Time" from Legacy: Hymns And Faith (2002.)

According to record label EMI, "Somewhere Down The Road" is like a travelogue for the soul:

"The theme for the album is stories and 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."

As such, specific themes that Grant explores on the album include learning to be honest with yourself and with God ("Better Than A Hallelujah",) the value of patience when waiting for answers to life's hard questions ("Overnight",) and learning to listen to people without judging them or feeling the need to "fix" them according to your own ideologies ("Come Into My World".)



Also, on March 30, there will be a few new compilations released concurrently with "Somewhere Down The Road", but anyone who already has the albums in question really won't need these double packs, although they are a good idea for new Amy Grant fans. Amy Grant: The Early Years comprises Age To Age and My Father's Eyes, Amy Grant: The Songwriter Collection comprises Lead Me On and Behind The Eyes, Amy Grant: The Pop Collection comprises Heart In Motion and House Of Love, and Amy Grant: The Breakout Years comprises Straight Ahead and Unguarded.



On December 29, 2009, Grant's 1999 Hallmark movie Song From The Heart was released on DVD. Grant proved herself to be as multi-talented an actress as she is a musician, and is breathtakingly beautiful throughout the film, and this beauty is radiated from the inside out. Grant's performance is on par with Val Kilmer's masterful performance as the blind massage therapist in At First Sight, also released in 1999.

In Grant's movie, she plays Maryann Lowery, a beautiful, blind cellist who lost her sight in a car accident as a child which claimed the lives of her parants. Maryann is the music teacher at the Milford Conservatory of Music, and she enjoys her quiet, comfortable life with her friend and widowed neighbor, Oliver (Keith Carradine). When world-famous musician Gregory Pavan (D.W. Moffet) visits the Conservatory to record an upcoming album, he sees undiscovered talent in Maryann, and promises her fame. He also convinces her to undergo a risky eye operation. As the two fall for each other, it will take a life-changing moment for Maryann to realize that sometimes, true love is waiting right before our eyes, waiting to be discovered.

In the meantime, Amy Grant's fans can rediscover their love for this amazing artist through her music and her movie, and one can only hope that she will return to acting one day, because Song From The Heart is a true gem.

~ Michael Holloway