Amy Grant Moves Toward More Folk-Oriented Style
Christian singer Amy Grant crossed over to platinum pop success with a style as frothy, sweet and glossy as anything on the charts. But the latest single from Grant’s “House of Love,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” has a folkie sound more akin to the original Joni Mitchell hit than to, say, “Baby, Baby,” Grant’s biggest hit to date.
And if Grant gets her druthers, her fans will hear more of that earthier, stripped-down sound in the future.
“Directionwise, it (‘Big Yellow Taxi’) has really been kind of a springboard I’ve used for my next album,” Grant said in a phone interview.
The singer said she had already recorded a number of new songs. This time, instead of working with Keith Thomas and Michael Omartian, who produced “House of Love,” she collaborated with her friend Wayne Kirkpatrick, who has written songs with her on and off for the past 10 years.
“I guess technically he’s producing it, but my manager keeps saying, ‘Now, these are just demos, OK? Now these are just demos!’ But they feel pretty good to me,” Grant said. “I don’t know if the record company might say the stuff’s too raw, and I’ll have to go back in with somebody else. But I kind of like it.”
Whatever she does will probably still be pop, Grant said, but she wants her music to reflect her folk roots a little bit more. Grant grew up in Tennessee in the ‘70s listening to artists such as Mitchell, James Taylor and Carole King - as well as the Beatles, Jethro Tull, Aretha Franklin and the Jackson 5. Her tastes are still more varied than her albums have suggested.
Grant also longs for songs that can stand by themselves and don’t need a wall of keyboards to have an impact.
“I have tried to always record that kind of stuff, stuff that’s really singable and not just a really hot track with an occasional catchy line,” she said.
Grant said she is one of those people who constantly scans the radio dial.
“There’s a station here in Nashville called Lightning 100; that’s where I discovered (Canadian country singer) Jann Arden, whom I’m crazy about. I kind of go from there, quickly check pop radio - more often, there’s too little there; it’s boring to me right now. As often as not, I find myself listening to country music because, I don’t know, I like it! It’s more of a first cousin to the alternative scene than pop music. If you want to hear some well-crafted songs, turn on country radio …”
Grant said she might not always like the production style, but country artists she consistently likes include Collin Raye, Trisha Yearwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter and, of course, Vince Gill, her pal and duet partner on the “House of Love” single.