Straight Ahead (Amy Grant album)

Infobox Album | Name = Straight Ahead
Type = studio
Artist = Amy Grant

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Released = 1984
Recorded = Caribou Ranch, Nederland, CO
Genre = Gospel/Christian
Length = 38:36
Label = Myrrh/Word
Producer = Brown Bannister
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:shdkylkjxp9b~T1 link]
Last album = "A Christmas Album"
(1983)
This album = "Straight Ahead"
(1984)
Next album = "Unguarded"
(1985) |

"Straight Ahead" is the eighth album by Christian music artist Amy Grant, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music).

"Straight Ahead" was the follow-up to Grant's ground-breaking 1982 album "Age to Age". Containing songs that were more aggressive than the ones found on "Age to Age", "Straight Ahead" was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. Nonetheless, it still topped Billboard's Christian album chart for sixty-one weeks, knocking "Age to Age" from the number-one position. The song "Angels" was also a #1 Christian radio hit for thirteen weeks, and won a Grammy Award for "Best Gospel Performance, Female." "Straight Ahead" would be certified gold in 1985.

In 2007, "Straight Ahead" was reissued and digitally remastered by Grant's new record label, EMI/Sparrow Records. The remastered edition is labeled with a "Digitally Remastered" logo in the 'gutter' on the CD front. [ [http://www.sparrowrecords.com/news/news_detail_page.aspx?id=527739&tid=227 Sparrow Records News ] ]

Track listing

#"Where Do You Hide Your Heart" (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith) – 3:57
#"Jehovah" (Geoffrey P. Thurman) – 5:57
#"Angels" (Amy Grant, Brown Bannister, Gary Chapman, Michael W. Smith) – 4:10 audio|Amy Grant - Angels.ogg|Listen
#"Straight Ahead" (Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Michael W. Smith) – 3:47
#"Thy Word" (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith) – 3:19
#"It's Not a Song" (Robbie Buchanan, Gary Chapman) – 3:27
#"Open Arms" (Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Bruce Hibbard) – 3:22
#"Doubly Good to You" (Rich Mullins) – 3:12
#"Tomorrow" (Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Bruce Hibbard) – 3:24
#"The Now and the Not Yet" (Pam Mark Hall) – 3:36

Personnel

*Amy Grant: Vocals.
*Gary Chapman: Guitar, Background Vocals.
*Jon Goin: Guitar, Guitars.
*Dann Huff: Guitars.
*Dean Parks: Guitar.
*Duncan Mullins: Bass.
*Robbie Buchanan: Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes.
*Michael W. Smith: Piano, Keyboards.
*Shane Keister: Organ, Synthesizer.
*Alan Steinberger: Synthesizer.
*Paul Leim: Drums.
*Kenny Malone: Drums.
*Lenny Castro: Percussion.
*Farrell Morris: Percussion.
*Debra Black: Background Vocals.
*Bill Champlin: Background Vocals.
*Kim Fleming: Background Vocals.
*Steve George: Background Vocals.
*Richard Page: Background Vocals.
*Chris Harris: Background Vocals.
*Mark Mason: Background Vocals.
*Marty McCall: Background Vocals.
*Donna McElroy: Background Vocals.
*Gary Pigg: Background Vocals.
*Billy Sprague: Background Vocals.
*David Thornton: Background Vocals.
*Carmen Twillie: Background Vocals.

Production

*Producer: Brown Bannister
*Executive Producer: Michael Blanton, Dan Harrell, Gary Chapman.
*Engineer: Jack Joseph Puig, Jim Baird, Kevin Burns, Gene Eichelberger, Steven Ford, Jerry Mahler.
*Arranger: Alan Moore
*Design: Michael Borum, Dennis Hill
*Photography: Mike Borum, Aaron Rapoport.

Miscellanea

*The album track "It's Not a Song" is Amy Grant's first song from her own pen with no religious theme whatsoever. It was also the first song for which she filmed a music video.
*"Straight Ahead" was the first Christian album to chart on the Billboard pop album chart. A&M reissued it in 1985, just as Amy was appearing on the Grammy awards show singing "Angels."

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

GMA Dove Awards

References