It’s hard to believe that the first time I heard Amy Grant was in 1982. I was just a child and now I have children of my own and am listening to the first new music from Grant in a long time. Somewhere Down the Road features six brand new songs, two previously unreleased songs, and a new rendition of the megahit “Arms of Love.” What you get from this album will depend greatly on what you are looking for. The album moves very slowly and is full of Adult Contemporary style songs that tend to drag when compared with the majority of her catalog.
“Better Than a Hallelujah” kicks off the album without much fanfare but its still a solid song and probably the album’s highlight. “Overnight” tries to pick up the pace but gets drowned by production- reminding me quickly of how much I dislike the modern sound of CCM music. When you hear songs like “Overnight” and “Find What You Are Looking For” you might identify them as any of a dozen or so artists. They lack the distinction of being Amy Grant songs. Grant has always had a unique sound and style and that is absent here.
The lone exception to this rule here though is the really, really unique sound of “Third World Woman.” Its Bluesy approach reminds me a lot of Ashley Cleveland. While this isn’t Grant’s best performance on the album, it’s so far out of the box that you immediately take notice because of the changed dynamic. The new version of “Arms of Love” is alright as well, but it just doesn’t grab a hold of you tightly like the original did. It is too easily pushed to the background in my opinion.
I wanted to write a glowing review for this album. I am a lifelong Amy Grant fan but Somewhere Down the Road just moves way to slowly for my taste. Maybe the world has gotten older and my tastes haven’t “matured” alongside it. I don’t know. If you are a fan of the myriad of CCM artists out there that sound exactly the same then you’ll likely enjoy this album. If you are looking for the Amy Grant that set the standard for CCM music with every new album then you won’t find it here.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
