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I have no stones to throw at Amy Grant or those who show what seems like prejudice towards her music.  I’ve witnessed other Christians turning against her because of her choices.  I have no desire to find fault with them.  I recognize that there is a place for judging the behavior of fellow believers.  But as one Christian leader said, too often we criticize in a way that leaves no room for response or discussion.  Sadly, it seems that too many people (Christians included) have become better at tearing people down rather than building them up.

Who am I to judge the servant of another?  My sins and their consequences may be different from Amy Grant’s, but am I any less guilty?  Aside from the grace of God in Christ Jesus, I deserve to be forever separated from the presence of God.  I’m in no position to wrongly judge Grant or her critics.

Despite any mistakes that Grant may have made in her personal life, there is one thing that I do know about her.  She has never ceased to grow and develop as an artist, and this new release is no exception.  It does not disappoint.

Since we don’t have a definitive bio of Amy in print—it’s a story I would like to read—Time Again serves as the next best thing—a musical bio of a long career.  Most of her biggest and best-loved songs are performed live in front of an enthusiastic audience at Bass Hall in Ft. Worth, Texas.  Ft. Worth was the site of her first ticketed performance 28 years ago.

If you have ever seen a PBS Soundstage concert, you know that the sound, lighting and performance are first-rate.  This production and Grant’s performance are as good or better than the best in that series.  This is one of the best music DVDs of the year.

Grant is relaxed and jokes with the audience in the occasional song introduction.  But in addition to a great overall performance, she deserves credit for assembling an outstanding supporting band.  They are terrific, and almost all of them join in at times on background vocals.  Some songs get slightly new arrangements, and except for a short, quiet acoustic portion in the middle of the set, most of the songs have a rock edge, which puts muscle into mostly pop songs.  

These live versions sound surprisingly fresh and in most cases, if not all, surpass the original studio recordings.  I never expected to care so much about several songs from Heart in Motion.  They have never sounded so good.  Even though I’ve heard “Baby Baby” many times on the radio, I enjoyed it more than ever.  Grant succeeds big-time in breathing new life and creative energy into her classics.

With any collection of past hits, choices have to be made and there’s not always room for everything.  There are no songs from Unguarded and her two recent hymns recordings.  It may be that they just didn’t fit the mood, which is generally upbeat and celebratory.  She does slow the pace with a mostly solo acoustic set of “In A Little While,” which has a new arrangement, “Thy Word,” “My Father’s Eyes,” and “El Shaddai.”  She performs each of these on her living room couch, which is located in the center of the stage on a large rug.  A scenic painting fills the background area behind it. Seated and playing her guitar with the painting in the background is a nice touch.

This is a must for any Amy Grant fan.  It’s the definitive Amy Grant video.  Lots of bonus material is included.  It appears that no expense was spared in making this the best it could be.

A CD of the performance can be purchased separately.  The track list differs slightly from the DVD.  In addition to the live version, a new studio version of “In A Little While” is included on the CD.  There’s also a live version of “Believe,” the theme song from the Three Wishes TV show that Grant hosted.  This song is not on the DVD.  

The CD also includes a bonus DVD consisting of four of the songs from the full-length DVD.  If you have to choose between the two, the DVD captures the best performances and includes a few songs not found on the CD, but both the DVD and CD are excellent.

Michael Dalton
October 23, 2006