Lead Me On (Amy Grant album)

Lead Me On is the eighth studio album by Christian music singer-songwriter Amy Grant, released in 1988 through A&M Recordings.

Lead Me On
Studio album by
Amy Grant
ReleasedJune 28, 1988[1]
Recorded1988
Studio
  • The Bennett House, Franklin, Tennessee
  • The Castle, Franklin, Tennessee
  • Digital Recorders, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Buchanan House, Vancouver, Canada
  • Riverstone Farm, Riverstone, Texas
  • A&M Studios, Hollywood, California
  • Emerald Sound Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Lion's Share Recording, Hollywood, California
GenreContemporary Christian music
Length59:35
LabelMyrrh, A&M
ProducerBrown Bannister
Amy Grant chronology
The Animals' Christmas
(1985)		 Lead Me On
(1988)		 Heart in Motion
(1991)
Alternative cover
The cover of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the album.
Singles from Lead Me On
  1. "Saved by Love"
    Released: 1988
  2. "Lead Me On"
    Released: 1988
  3. "1974 (We Were Young)"
    Released: 1988
  4. "What About the Love"
    Released: 1988
  5. "Say Once More"
    Released: 1988
  6. "Faithless Heart"
    Released: 1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Lead Me On was a departure from its predecessor, the high-energy pop album Unguarded. Unlike Unguarded or 1991's Heart in Motion, Lead Me On was not mainstream compatible. Only three of its songs earned mainstream airplay, all of them insignificantly (the title song charted for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 96, and "Saved by Love" and "1974 (We Were Young)" made the Adult Contemporary chart in minor positions). Christian music, however, praised the album. It would later be named the No. 1 Christian album in CCM Magazine's 2001 book The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.[2] The title song was featured in WOW #1s: 31 of the Greatest Christian Music Hits Ever.

Anniversary release

EMI / Sparrow Records released a double-disc 20th Anniversary Edition of the album on June 24, 2008. The first disc contains EMI's digitally remastered version of the complete original album. The second disc contains new acoustic recordings of songs from the original album, which Grant has described as "songwriter versions" that are stripped down to emphasize the lyrics. Several of these tracks feature special guests. Additionally, the 20th Anniversary Edition includes previously unreleased live recordings from the large-scale Lead Me On Tour and a short interview with Amy Grant about the original album. The discs are packaged with a previously unseen booklet of pictures and liner notes from Grant.[3]

In support of the 20th Anniversary Edition, Grant recreated the original Lead Me On tour in 20 cities, starting in October 2008. Most of the original tour's band reunited for the anniversary tour. The reissue and anniversary tour were also supported by TV specials, radio specials, and promotional appearances.[3]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."1974 (We Were Young)"Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Jerry McPherson4:22
2."Lead Me On"Grant, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Michael W. Smith5:35
3."Shadows"Grant, Karen Peris, Don Peris5:24
4."Saved by Love"Grant, Justin Peters, Chris Smith4:38
5."Faithless Heart"Grant, Michael W. Smith5:10
6."What About the Love"Rhonda Fleming, Janis Ian5:23
7."If These Walls Could Speak"Jimmy Webb5:42
8."All Right"Grant, Dann Huff, Phil Naish4:23
9."Wait for the Healing*"Grant, Chapman, Kirkpatrick, McPherson5:36
10."Sure Enough"Mike Brignardello, Shane Keister, Kirkpatrick4:00
11."If You Have To Go Away*"Grant, McPherson4:01
12."Say Once More**"Grant, Gardner Cole4:54
20th Anniversary Edition bonus disc[4]
No.TitleLength
1."Lead Me On"4:40
2."Introduction to Faithless Heart (Amy and Michael W. Smith)"0:33
3."Faithless Heart (Acoustic)"3:51
4."Say Once More (Acoustic)"3:49
5."Wait for the Healing (Live)"6:01
6."Shadows (Live)"5:26
7."All Right (Live)"5:22
8."Piano Intro (Michael W. Smith)"1:51
9."Lead Me On (Live)"6:27
10."Quite a Change (Interview)"1:41
11."The Great Balancing Act (Interview)"1:46
12."Seasons (Interview)"1:19
13."Wait for the Healing (Interview)"1:01
14."Looking Back (Interview)"0:44

* Bonus Track on CD version
** This song is different from the one with the same name on Grant's 1980 Never Alone release.

The release was promoted in the US by the record company (Myrrh/Word Incorporated, Waco Texas) by issue of a unique promotional CD. The gold picture CD was hand numbered and autographed by Amy herself and was limited to 4150 copies (catalogue number 9016656472).

Personnel
  • Amy Grant – lead vocals, background vocals (1, 4, 5)
  • Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11), acoustic piano (4)
  • Alan Pasqua – keyboards (1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 12)
  • Michael W. Smith – keyboards (2)
  • Benmont Tench – Hammond B3 organ (2, 4, 8, 12)
  • Shane Keister – keyboards (3, 8, 9, 10), Hammond B3 organ (5), acoustic piano (7)
  • Carl Marsh – keyboards (6), Arco bass (7)
  • Brett Perry – Synclavier (12)
  • Keith Thomas – Synclavier (12), keyboards (12)
  • Jerry McPherson – electric guitar (1), zither (1), guitars (2, 3, 4, 6, 8–11)
  • Dann Huff – 12-string guitar (1, 11), guitars (2–6, 8, 9, 10, 12), guitar solo (3, 8, 10)
  • Gary Chapman – acoustic guitar (4, 6), background vocals (8)
  • Mark O'Connor – mandolin (4), viola (7), violin (9)
  • Mike Brignardello – bass guitar (1–6, 8–11)
  • Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar (12)
  • Paul Leim – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11)
  • Keith Edwards – drums (3, 9)
  • Lenny Castro – percussion (1, 3, 6, 10, 12), tambourine (11)
  • John Darnall – string arrangements (7)
  • Bill Champlin – background vocals (2, 8)
  • Tommy Funderburk – background vocals (2)
  • Chris Rodriguez – background vocals (3, 8, 9, 10), guitars (10)
  • Wayne Kirkpatrick – background vocals (3, 8, 9, 10, 12)
  • Chris Harris – background vocals (3, 8, 9, 10)
  • Diana DeWitt – background vocals (3, 10, 11)
  • Mary Ann Kennedy – background vocals (5, 6)
  • Pam Rose – background vocals (5, 6)
  • Chris Eaton – background vocals (8, 10)
  • Donna McElroy – background vocals (8)
  • Dave Perkins – background vocals (8)
  • Randy Stonehill – background vocals (8)
  • Russ Taff – background vocals (8)
  • Carmen Twillie – background vocals (8)

Production

  • Brown Bannister – producer
  • David Anderle – executive producer
  • Michael Blanton – executive producer
  • Gary Chapman – executive producer
  • Fran Kirkpatrick – production coordination
  • Kimberly Smith – production coordination
  • Jeff Balding – engineer, mixing (5, 7)
  • Claude Achille – assistant engineer
  • Jeff Coppage – assistant engineer
  • Ron Jacobs – assistant engineer
  • Laura Livingston – assistant engineer
  • Mark McKenna – assistant engineer
  • Paula Montondo – assistant engineer
  • Mark Nevers – assistant engineer
  • Keith Odell – assistant engineer
  • Brian Scheuble – assistant engineer
  • Bob Vogt – assistant engineer
  • Bill Whittington – assistant engineer
  • Randall J. Wine – assistant engineer
  • Marc DeSisto – mixing (1, 3, 4, 6, 8–11)
  • Shelly Yakus – mixing (1–4, 6, 8, 10)
  • Johnny Potoker – mixing (5)
  • Steve McMillan – mixing (12)
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Masterdisk, New York City – mastering location
  • Richard Frankel – art direction
  • Melanie Nissen – design
  • Eika Aoshima – photography

Chart positions

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[9] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1989 Lead Me On Best Gospel Performance, Female

GMA Dove Awards

Year Winner Category
1989 Lead Me On Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
1989 "Lead Me On" Short Form Music Video of the Year

References
  1. Lead Me On at AllMusic
  2. Granger, Thom, ed. (2001). The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. Harvest House. pp. 13–15. ISBN 0-7369-0281-3.
  3. June08_cover_Prf3 Archived September 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Amazon.com: Lead Me On (20th Anniversary Edition) (2 CDs): Amy Grant: Music
  5. (PDF) http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1988/BB-1988-12-24.pdf. Retrieved September 15, 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. (PDF) http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-12-23.pdf. Retrieved September 15, 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. (PDF) http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/Billboard-1990-12-22.pdf. Retrieved September 15, 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. "Top Christian Albums – 1980's". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  9. "Canadian album certifications – Amy Grant – lead Me On". Music Canada. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  10. "American album certifications – Amy Grant – lead Me On". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 29, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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