Amy Grant - 'Somewhere Down The Road'

We've waited seven years for Amy Grant to release new material and after several listens to Somewhere Down The Road, I've decided that it was worth the wait. The album is a journey through life, not always pretty, but always real and with God always by our sides.

Amy Grant kicks off her first new release in seven years with the piano driven "Better than a Hallelujah" and this is one of those songs that even the naysayers that question if her faith is "enough" will have no doubts about. The beautiful tune is one that we can all relate to because we've all gone to God with our cries, tears and fears, wondering if He hears as clearly since we're not praising and rejoicing. As Amy puts it so aptly, "It's better than a Hallelujah."

The album continues the theme with new songs, previously unreleased songs and new recordings of some of her best-loved classics. Lyrics that are as raw as they are thoughtful and personal make the songs relatable to anyone who has struggled with questions that have no answers while still holding on to their faith.

"Find What You're Looking For" is the human condition in a song. 'Cause there's so much good in the worst of us. So much bad in the best of us. It never makes sense for any of us to criticize the rest of us. We'll just find what we're looking for. For those of us who suffer from the human quality known as impatience (aka - I want it yesterday), Amy's "Overnight" (featuring her daughter Sarah Chapman) is a gentle reminder that patience is a virtue for a reason. If it all just happened overnight, you would never know how much it means. "Hard Times," with a very Sheryl Crow sound, recognizes that hard times are a part of being a human being and we all face them. Hard times will come until we're done with this life and are rejoicing in Heaven so the question isn't "Will they come?" but instead it is "How will you measure up when they do?"

The re-recording of "Arms of Love" is one that I just don't have words for. Let me just say that this song was a classic for a reason and somehow, Amy Grant has made it sound even better in 2010.

The bottom line for me is that out of 12 songs, there isn't a throw-away tune to be found. This release was good the first listen, really good the second listen and by listen number three, all I could do was shake my head. Amy Grant opened up her soul when she wrote her new songs and left a piece of her heart in the studio when she recorded them. For those reviewers who have said this album is too dark and too slow, I just have to congratulate them on living lives full of nothing but roses and rainbows. For the rest of us, dark moments come and it is during those times that God's glory shines through the brightest.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.