Awaken
Contemporary Christian Music artist Natalie Grant comes out with both guns blazing on AWAKEN. The opening title track is a widescreen sonic vista exploding with Grant's musical expression of faith. Throughout the album, she skillfully combines ... Full Descriptionpop, country, rock, and more, imbuing them with an undeniable message of spirituality, but never overwhelming the accessibility of the songs. The country side of Grant's music is futher underlined towards the end of the album, with "Bring It All Together," which features a guest appearance by country star Wynonna Judd.
Personnel include: Natalie Grant (vocals); Wynonna (vocals); Todd Parsnow, Michael Ripol (guitar); Rob Graves (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Jay Jackson (pedal steel guitar); Bernie Herms (piano, keyboards, programming); Stephen Lewis (piano); Bobby Sparks (Hammond b-3 organ); Shaun Shankel (keyboards); Jackie Street, Jeff Plant (bass instrument); Shawn Pelton, Jason Thomas (drums).
Recording information: Maximedia, Dallas, TX; The Sound Kitchen, Franklin, TN.
Stronger
Natalie Grant's Stronger is one of the rarest treasures in Christian music: an original album that has a distinct voice and style. With so many CCM pop stars making decent but faceless music, it is a relief to see that there are still albums like this floating around. With a powerhouse voice and top-notch songwriters, Grant brings to mind a wholesome Britney Spears at some points and a spiritual Faith Hill at others. In fact, it is pretty weird to hear what would ordinarily be typical radio pop filled with lyrics about Christian topics and ideologies.
Relentless
Of course, how many pop albums do you know of where every song is a home run? Relentless is a little routine at times, but it's never badly done, and you'll walk away from it remembering the skillful songwriting and poignant messages of the highlights. And how often do pop artists seem to skew too young or old with their pop sound? Grant, in her mid-thirties, appropriately resides somewhere between as an artist that teens and their moms can get equally excited about. How easy it would be for Natalie Grant to return to predictable pop. How fortunate for us that she's forging her own path instead, pursuing excellent pop songs worthy of her considerable vocal skills.
Believe
Christmas albums can too easily slide into slushy sentimentality or banal, unimaginative rehashing of secular Christmas favourites. Natalie Grant dips more than a toe into both in this reissue of her 2005 Christmas release, which when originally released charted at number 13 on Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" showcase Natalie's voice without breaking much new ground. Sadly, "Let It Snow" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" sound like the sort of muzak you hear in supermarkets in December. However the title track lifts the whole album and earns it a good three squares more than most of the rest of the album deserves. With vocals reminiscent of Celine Dion at times Natalie soars and swoops though one of the best new Christmas songs I have heard in years. "What Christmas Means To Me" is an over-the-top Motown pastiche, but the final tracks, especially the medley "Silver Bells/Savior Came For Me/O Holy Night" again lift the standard. If you're looking for something new next Christmas, don't dismiss this album for its weaker tracks; the stronger ones more than compensate
Deeper Life
This is Natalie Grant’s third album and is positive proof that her new home at Curb Records is working well for her. The album opens with the upbeat title track “Deeper Life”, a poppy feel good song that’s easy to pick up and sing along. “Days Like These” and “I Will Be” are in a similar style without being repetitions of the first song. The songs “hat’s When I Give Up (On Loving You)”, “Live For Today” and “I Desire” have a more acoustic rock kind of sound – similar to that of Michelle Branch. The bonus track “No Sign Of It” has been featured in the new Gwyneth Paltrow film A View From the Top. ‘Deeper Life’ contains some of Grant’s best work, it’s a great record with a good message, sure to please her growing number of fans and draw in some new ones.
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