Behind The Eyes
Since this album came out, I've read and heard many opinions of it, ranging from "this is undoubtedly her best ever!" to "please don't waste your money." Not surprisingly, I fall somewhere in the middle. Though I'm a longtime fan of Ms. Grant's, I'm far less rabid a fan than many others. Having said that, I will have to say that this album will hold a special place in my collection. You see, Amy is only a scant few years older than I am, and her music has always paralleled what's going on in my life. This album is no different. It's fairly mellow throughout, with one or two songs that up the tempo slightly, which dovetails nicely with my own slowing down a bit. I still like to rock as much as the next "chyk," but frankly, I like to slow it down now and then, and this CD is great for those times. However, I would say that this would be the weakest point of the CD overall; even us old people would like to have a little more variation in tempos here and there. The first single to be released, "Takes a Little Time," is probably the most up-tempo of the group. Its theme is along the lines of time heals all wounds:
You can't rush a weary soul You can't sweep it under the rug now honey But it don't take a lot to know It takes a little time sometimes To get your feet back on the ground.
We can turn and face our fears Maybe one day We can reach out through our tears After all it's really not that far To where hope can be found Maybe one day We can turn this world around.
There'll be answers to the questions Somewhere down the road Though we cannot see it now Somewhere down the road You will find mighty arms reaching for you And they will hold the answers at the end of the road. The last, and arguably best, thing about the album is the packaging. The insert has several nice photos of Amy from several angles, and the colors are a tasteful mix of green and brown. My particular favorite is the shot on the back of the CD - it shows Amy from behind to one side, with her hand on her cheek. Amy's a beautiful woman, to be sure, but that hand has seen some real livin', if you know what I mean. It's a lovely reminder that, idolized as she often is, Amy is a real human, just like the rest of us. By Lisa Reid
"Nobody Home" starts off superstar Amy Grant's latest CD promisingly using an empty downtown retail community to depict a sense of abandonment. The title and chorus, "You can knock all you want; but ain't nobody home," sets the tone for the album--vague longing and regret for lost friendships and unfulfilled relationships interspersed with a few rays of hope. The project sounds great. The blend of acoustic, electric, and pedal steel guitars supported by Hammond B-3 organ creates a contemporary college rock atmosphere, although Grant's pop origins are always evident. In interviews, Grant claims to be more honest, to have shared more of herself on Behind The Eyes. This authenticity doesn't always ring true, however. "Curious Thing" is a light-hearted first person look at sudden stardom written from the bottom of the heap. Was she really in line at a grocery store recently buying the family's staple meal, beans and rice, when she spotted a friend from school on the cover of a magazine? The melody of "Cry A River" is memorable, but the lyrics are disturbing. Grant and her husband, Gary Chapman, have been candid about solving past marital problems, but to write that "Who knew love would come walking through my door," that, "It was just the wrong time," that, "some things you live with; and you never let it show," seem to commemorate rather than flee temptation. Grant is also vague about spiritual matters. The strongest spiritual statement is perhaps in the concluding song, "Somewhere Down the Road," where she declares, "You will find mighty arms reaching for you, and they will hold the answers at the end of the road." But in a post-Christian society, those arms could belong to anyone. Despite such quibbles, this project is a decent beginning at mature expression. I'm not ready to write-off Amy Grant, providing she understands, as she sings on "Every Road," that, "Every road that's narrow pushes us to choose," and she continues to demonstrate an interest in choosing the difficult road that leads to artistic integrity. By Linda Stonehocker
Let's dispel the rumor that Behind the Eyes is Amy Grant's
return to the sound and caliber of Lead Me On. Not quite.
That rumor was my motivation for acquiring her latest because Lead Me
On is the one Amy Grant album that I find particularly worth owning
(and The Collection, of course). I haven't been led too far
astray, however, and I'm not bitter. Behind the Eyes is a
pleasant enough album, with nice songs and an appealing sound.
Overall it is more rooted emotionally and musically than either of her
last two albums, yet it doesn't altogether reach the depth of Lead Me
On. I applaud the honesty, and even the melancholy,
but after repeated listens I'm not as infatuated as I'd like to be.
She does a respectable job mixing both the joy of relationships and sadness
in their hardship, yet she could've wrung her heart out a little harder.
Still, she made a good choice to distance herself from that poppier sound
of previous work. I hope she continues in this tradition.
It's a solid release that is sure to please her die-hard fans even if
it's not the "second coming" of Amy currently running the
rumor mill.
|
