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Diminutive lung-busting spitfire Natalie Grant could have played something of a diva, and it would have at least been partially understandable. She has, after all, won the Dove award for best female vocalist for multiple years and has had enough radio hits to make for a pretty full best-of collection.

But no. Instead, she sees fit to be mistress of ceremonies for her openning acts, like she's the den mother/hostess for the caravan following her in tow. It's a gracious move that underscores the kind of genuineness she seemingly wants to maintain about her musical ministry.

Thankfully, she had enough energy to assay some of her catalog to the full house of the church she headlined. As pre-show announcer and Grant background singer Tiffany Thurston (think of a  younger Hawaiian Kim Hill more or less in both looks and sound) lead the audience in a couple of pop(ular) praise&worship choruses, La Natalie came out to join her on the second of them. From there on in, the platform was hers.

And it was all the more hers when her band wasn't rocking out too hard behind her. Yes, gal is capable of some swagger, but it got lost when the guys accompanying her overpowered her own instrument. Neither did the keyboardist's spell of replicating the sound of flatulent waterfowl for at least one number. 
Gladly, those moments were few. She saved her two most touching tearjerkers, "Held" and "In Better Hands," for the end, but that left room for subtler moments throughout the rest of the set. Especially effective were those where her drummer got out from behind his kit to tap on a wooden (?) box on which he sat for numbers including "The Real Me" and "So Long."

Just as she ended her run of openning artists with a pitch for a ministry helping to save girls from sexual slavery, she ended on a manifestly Godward note with a couple more praise&worship pieces, "In Christ Alone" (the one she made a biggie, not Michael English's) and the song by Irish band Bluetree made popular by Chris Tomlin, "God Of This City." It was a strong way to unify those in attendance before breaking up to go back home.

Opening up the first half of the evening was Grant's acoustic guitar player, Evan Milby. Uptempo with his acoustic strumming and sufficiently reverential couplets, his two songs resembled a stripped-down Jeremy Camp, though perhaps not quite so compelling (not that I'm much of a Camp backer)--at last in this setting. Perhaps he'll shine brighter on a full album with a band behind him.

Meredith Andrews didn't have much more to back her, what with her husband and she sharing keyboard and acoustic guitar duties. But the sincerely worshipful nature of the five songs she shared, a humble personality and stratospherically belting--but not showy--voice well complemented the minimal instrumentation, likely especially for those in the crowd who know her from hearing her on the local K-Love outlet that hosted the concert.

Chris Sligh--he of the "Weird" Al Yankovic-curly locks, Buddy Holly glasses and 2007 _American Idol_ finalist pedigree--had fun with his notoriety in the general and Christian markets. He kidded those who applauded when he mentioned his co-writing credit on Rascal Flatts' "Here Comes Goodbye" (which he proceeded to sing himself), telling them that they should be listening to K-Love. That hit for the aforementioned poppy country trio was a respite from the songs from his own debut album and a new song, "Vessel," destined for his sophomore set. He furthermore joked about his playing of acoustic guitar and keyboards himself in lieu of a band, sometimes breaking into a song to tell of where the band ought to be cranking just then. When he sang, however, his rich bari' carried his his work without any funny business--apart from a spin through Downhere's cheeky "Rock Stars Need Money, Too," that is.

In recent conversations with more than one friend, it was easy for both of us to get down on the white-bread, artificial nature of cCm of the adult contemporary variety. Grant & Co. this night made a great, heartfelt defense of just how valid and engaging it can be. Here's hoping to see her around this way again soon.

Jamie Lee Rake  March 29, 2009