Capitol Christian Music Group
Release Date: May 11th 2018
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Amy Grant– Say It With A Kiss (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Say It With A Kiss
With her all-new album of original material How Mercy Looks From Here (released in 2013) being her first album in 10 years (with the previous studio album of all new material being Simple Things in 2003); CCM pop/adult contemporary legend Amy Grant has since released Be Still And Know…Hymns And Faith in 2015- (a follow up to 2 prior hymns albums- Legacy: Hymns & Faith and Rock Of Ages: Hymns And Faith. In 2016, Amy unveiled her brand new Christmas album Tennessee Christmas, comprising of 13 inspiring well known and obscure carols and original Christmas tunes, with Amy ardently praising God about the fact of Him coming the Earth as a baby in a manger to save mankind. Now, fast forward two years later, and Amy has dropped another new release, with the smash hit single “Say It With A Kiss” being probably the first all new original song since 2013. As Amy has wowed us time and time again with her stellar and relatable song writing, while also staying relevant to the current CCM sound as well; smash hits across the years such as “El Shaddai”, “That’s What Love Is For”, “Every Heartbeat”, “Lead Me On”, “I Will Remember You”, “Baby Baby”, and “Takes A Little Time”, all remind us at how prolific and respected Amy is as a songwriter and as a singer. On this new track, Amy dives deep, and tackles the issue of knowing or being friends with someone with different views from you, and what you should do when there is an issue you and your friends are divided on.
Acoustic in nature and driven by guitars, “Say It With A Kiss” is vintage Amy Grant, as we are blessed to hear a 3 minute pop tune where Amy poses the question of how to talk to people with different beliefs, viewpoints, morals and values to us. As Amy ardently reiterates countless times in the song, she encourages us to ‘…say it with a kiss, no matter what it is, put love back at the top of our list, find a better way to make a brighter day, don’t you know, don’t you know, don’t you know that, there’ll be more happiness when we do that, oh, what a wonderful way to live…’; and this doesn’t mean we should treat those around us like our family, like we love them with all of our heart and soul (although God does want us to love others like how we love ourselves and how He loves us!); but rather Amy encourages us to talk to those around us with different point of view- with an open mind and with dignity and respect, as we try to find the common ground and maybe in some circumstances agree to disagree. It’s ok to be wrong sometimes, and what I reckon Amy is conveying in this track is that sometimes listening to others with different views may challenge us and allow us to see certain situations with different lenses. It may not change our own view point, but seeing where other people are coming from allows for empathy and in this day and age, I reckon relating to others is paramount. This song is a great way for us to dialogue this issue through as we are shown some real issues that we may want buried away, so kudos to Amy for bringing the issue of really listening to others, out into the forefront.
Amy Grant has given us some special and inspiring melodies over the years, and “Say It With A Kiss” is no different. Hopefully this track is a pre-cursor to new songs releasing on the horizon soon, and hopefully this also means that Amy isn’t finished yet, with either singing or song-writing. The future is unwritten for Amy, and here’s hoping and praying that she will continue for as long as God wants her to. In fact, I reckon “Say It With A Kiss” is very strong, and so strong that it reminds us why she is one of the best female singer/songwriters currently, and why she may record for a few more years yet! So hats off to Amy for this inspiring and confronting melody- everyone you all should listen to this, and be inspired to really listen to those around you!
Score: 4/5
RIYL: Natalie Grant, Nichole Nordeman, Francesca Battistelli, Point Of Grace, Brooke Fraser, Rebecca St James