Capitol Christian Music Group
Release Date: July 9th 2021
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Amy Grant– Heart In Motion (30th Anniversary Edition) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
DISC 1
- Good For Me
- Baby Baby
- Every Heartbeat
- That’s What Love Is For
- Ask Me
- Galileo
- You’re Not Alone
- Hats
- I Will Remember You
- How Can We See That Far
- Hope Set High
DISC 2
- Don’t Ever Want to Lose It (Wind In The Fire)*
- Stand By Me*
- Heart In Motion Medley
- Good For Me demo
- Baby Baby (7 inch Heart In Motion mix)
- Every Heartbeat (Steve Bishir edit)
- That’s What Love Is For (Demo)
- Ask Me (7 inch Mix)
- Baby Baby (12″ Heart In Motion Mix)
- Galileo (Rough Mix)
- I Will Remember You (Rhythm mix)
- Good For Me (12″ So Good mix)
- Every Heartbeat (Heart and Soul edit)
- Day And Night*
- Baby Baby (7″ No Getting Over You mix)
- Good For Me (12″ mix)
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, while Somewhere Down The Road released on 2010); 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 to present time in 2021, and Amy has dropped another new release. No, it’s not another full length album of original material… but rather a 30th anniversary edition of her 1991 album Heart In Motion. With a 2nd exclusive disc of 16 rare tracks and demos (and a few newly recorded songs as well!), Heart In Motion: 30th Anniversary Edition is a must for any Amy grant enthusiast, as well as collectors of deluxe edition albums, and fans of artists like Point of Grace, Natalie Grant and Nichole Nordeman. 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’ album, with new renditions of fan favourites, newly-written tracks and never before heard demos; Amy dives deep, and tackles a myriad of still relevant issues that we all need to face today.
Let me preface this long-ish spiel by declaring that this is not a review. The majority of fans of Amy Grant, or fans of heartfelt and thought-provoking singer/songwriter music similar to Andrew Peterson, Jason Gray, John Mayer, Natalie Imbruglia, Five For Fighting, Sarah McLachlan and Jewel; quite probably may have listened to the 11 original tracks of Heart In Motion already. I mean, the standard edition of the album is 30 years old. Songs like “That’s What Love Is For”, “I Will Remember You”, “Every Heartbeat” and the crossover hit “Baby Baby”, have all graced our ears on the radio and in our homes for plenty of years- I’m sure we all know the words back to front, as this album was undoubtedly the album that brough Amy into the spotlight in mainstream music. The songs have such crossover appeal and such universal subjects that can be relevant over a vast period of time- Heart in Motion to me doesn’t get old and is still enjoyable and resonating to hear all these years later! Amy Grant is one of the most influential artists of all time (you can read our post here!) and it’s nostalgic and sentimental to revisit this iconic and legendary album all these years later. So why exactly though, does this 30th Anniversary Edition of Heart In Motion deserving of being heard and explored?
Why, it’s because of all the rare cuts, demos and rough edits, of course! All 16 tracks shine, and we are blessed with being introduced to 3 versions of “Good To Me”, 3 versions of “Baby Baby” (it’s a pity that the duet with Tori Kelly isn’t included!), 2 versions of “Every Heartbeat”, 1 remix/edit/demo each for “That’s What Love Is For”, “Galileo”, “I Will Remember”, and a mashup “Heart In Motion Medley” that deserves multiple repeat listens. Yet it is essential the three all new melodies that are the shining lights of all 27 melodies. “Don’t Ever Want to Lose It (Wind In The Fire)” is a mid-tempo acoustic type ballad that speaks about the ever moving passage of time, and the fact that it always keeps on moving, and that we ought to appreciate life as it comes, because we never know when our time is up. This song basically speaks about mortality and us reconciling with this scary fact, and as Amy eloquently relays to us ‘…let me savor this time, and capture this moment, we’ve come this far to find, without a wind in the fire, the burning can smolder, don’t let this feeling die, I don’t ever want to lose it…’, let us remember that our time on Earth is short, and that we need to make our legacies count. “Stand By Me”, a inspirational and thought-provoking guitar led melody about the notion of family, friends and companionship, also speaks about standing by someone when they really need it, and when they’re in their darkest moment; while the final new track is “Day And Night”, a typical 90’s sounding guitar led track that speaks about our own insecurities and self-worth, as Amy passionately reiterates that she needs words of encouragement and affirmations day and night- it’s a well known fact that we all need people telling us we’ve done a good job, and that we would prefer it very much if we were liked and loved rather than hated.
Amy Grant has given us some special and inspiring melodies over the years, and the heartfelt and hard-hitting songs on Heart In Motion as well as the rarities, are no different. Hopefully the new tracks are a pre-cursor to new songs releasing on the horizon soon, and a brand new album coming 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 Heart In Motion 30th Anniversary Edition reminds us why Amy is one of the best female singer/songwriters currently! So hats off to Amy for this inspiring, unique and inventive album, and one you all should check out if you’re into rarities and B-sides. One of the standout ‘deluxe edition albums’ of this year!
Score: 4.5/5
RIYL: Natalie Grant, Nichole Nordeman, Francesca Battistelli, Point Of Grace, Brooke Fraser, Rebecca St James