Straight Ahead (Amy Grant album)

Straight Ahead
Studio album by Amy Grant
Released 1984
Recorded 1983-1984
Studio Caribou Ranch, Nederland, CO; The Bennett House, Franklin, TN; Bullet Recording, Nashville, TN; Mama Jo's Studio, North Hollywood, CA; Bill Schnee Studio, North Hollywood, CA; Air Studios, London, England
Genre Contemporary Christian music
Length 38:36
Label Myrrh, A&M Records
Producer Brown Bannister
Amy Grant chronology
A Christmas Album
(1983)A Christmas Album1983		 Straight Ahead
(1984)		 Unguarded
(1985)Unguarded1985
Singles from Straight Ahead
  1. "Angels"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

Straight Ahead is the fifth studio album, and eighth album by Christian music artist Amy Grant, released in 1984. This was Grant's final album on Myrrh Records; she would later strike a record deal with A&M Records.

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 No. 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. The song "Thy Word" is based on Psalm 119:105.[2]

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.[3]

Straight Ahead was the first Christian album to chart on the Billboard pop album chart. A&M reissued it in 1985, just as Grant was appearing on the Grammy Awards performing "Angels".

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Where Do You Hide Your Heart"Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith3:57
2."Jehovah"Geoffrey P. Thurman5:57
3."Angels"Grant, Brown Bannister, Gary Chapman, Smith4:10
4."Straight Ahead"Grant, Chapman, Smith3:47
5."Thy Word"Grant, Smith3:19
6."It's Not a Song"Robbie Buchanan, Chapman3:27
7."Open Arms"Grant, Chapman, Bruce Hibbard3:22
8."Doubly Good to You"Rich Mullins3:12
9."Tomorrow"Grant, Chapman, Hibbard3:24
10."The Now and the Not Yet"Pam Mark Hall3:36

Personnel

  • Amy Grant – lead vocals, background vocals (1, 5, 9, 10)
  • Gary Chapman – background vocals (1, 4, 5, 9), guitar & guitar solo (4)
  • Jon Goin – electric guitar & "fly" guitar (1), guitar (2, 3, 4, 6-10)
  • Dann Huff – guitar solo (1), guitar (9)
  • Dean Parks – guitar (7)
  • Mike Brignardello – bass (1-4, 6-10)
  • Andy Widders-Ellis – stick bass (3)
  • Duncan Mullins – bass (4)
  • Robbie Buchanan – Roland Jupiter 8 (1, 2, 5), piano (2, 3, 8), synthesizer (4), keyboards (6, 7), Fender Rhodes (7, 9)
  • Michael W. Smith – keyboards (1-5, 8, 9, 10), Yamaha GS2 (1, 2, 3, 8), piano (5, 9, 10)
  • Shane Keister – synthesizers (2, 3, 5, 9), organ (4)
  • Alan Steinberger – synthesizers (1, 5, 6, 10, 11)
  • Paul Leim – drums (1-4, 6-9)
  • Kenny Malone – drums (10)
  • Lenny Castro – percussion (1, 7, 9)
  • Farrell Morris – percussion (8, 10)
  • Alan Moore – string arrangements (2, 8)
  • Donna McElroy – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 9)
  • Kim Fleming – background vocals (1, 4, 5, 9)
  • Gary Pigg – background vocals (2, 3)
  • Debrorah Black – background vocals (3)
  • Bill Champlin – background vocals (3)
  • Tamara Champlin – background vocals (3)
  • Carmen Twillie – background vocals (3)
  • Marty McCall – background vocals (3)
  • Leann Jones – background vocals (5)
  • Curt Lyles – background vocals (5)
  • Mark Mason – background vocals (5)
  • Steve George – background vocals (6)
  • Richard Page – background vocals (6)
  • Thomas Kain – background vocals (6)
  • Chris Harris – background vocals (7)
  • Billy Sprague – background vocals (7)
  • David Thornton – background vocals (7)
  • Ron Downey – background vocals (10)

Production

Charts

Certifications

Country Sales Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Canada (CRIA) 50,000 Gold
United States (RIAA) 500,000 Gold

Accolades

GMA Dove Awards

Year Winner Category
1985 Straight Ahead Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1985 "Angels" Best Gospel Performance, Female

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r90625/review
  2. ↑ "Thy Word Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
  3. ↑ Sparrow Records News
  4. ↑ "Top Christian Albums - 1980's". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
Preceded by
Not of this World by Petra		 Billboard Top Contemporary Christian number-one album
March 31, 1984 – May 25, 1985 		Succeeded by
Beat The System by Petra
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