Rock of Ages: Hymns & Faith

 (51 customer reviews)

Travel back a hundred years or so, step through the doors of a small-time, backwater, clapboard church, and you'll be caught up by the soulful sounds of Amy Grant's latest disc. From the opening track, Amy lays her heart on the line with nuanced vocals. Sinner, saint, martyr, or scapegoat...she has endured through the years, despite her flaws, by clinging to her faith. And this is nowhere more evident than in "Rock of Ages..."

Although I've never been a huge Grant fan (I bought this one for my wife), I could not help being touched by the raw truth and power in these songs. She imbues "I Surrender All" with a joyful willingness; she blends "Jesus Loves Me" and "They'll Know We are Christians" with lyrical and musical purpose; and she incorporates the straightforward simplicity of her father's voice in "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." The selection of hymns and lyrics drawn from the 1800s and early 1900s is outstanding. The newer tunes are wonderfully woven into the album's...Read more

The days of Amy Grant's mainstream success in the mid-90s with hits like "Lucky One" are far behind Amy. Instead of trying to refind that mainstream success, Amy instead returns again to her earlier Christian roots, with excellent results.

"Rock of Ages" (13 tracks, 45 min.) is an excellent sequel to 2002's "Legacy" album, again covering well known and not so well known old time hymns and religious material. The album's opener, "Anywhere With Jesus" is a delight, with a long instrumental intro that gives way to Amy's soaring vocals, just beautiful. There are many highlights on here, such as "Sweet Will of God", with the vocals-only intro, and "O Master, Let Me Walk With You", among others. Country superstar Vince Gill (Amy's husband) co-produced the album, with great results.

This album will not bring Amy renewed mainstream success, nor was it intended to (presumably), although it of course would be nice if this delicious collection sold millions. "Rock of Ages"...Read more

This is an enjoyable CD which takes some old hymns and gives them a modern touch. For the most part, the update is a country sound.

Amy Grant has a voice that is superb. She gave a very good performance on several of these songs. In particular, I like her versions of 'Rock of Ages', and 'Abide With Me'. She has a great sounding version of 'El Shaddai' on here, but of course this is not the only CD of hers where one could find that.

For those who enjoy a modern twist on old hymns, this is a worthwhile collection. I would also recommend the recent CDs by 'Passion' and 'Jars of Clay' which have also done that.