Artist Info:Discography Album length: 12 tracks Street Date: March 22, 2005
Natalie Grant has seen her share of tough times in the music industry.
Facing the collapse of two record companies she had been a part of,
she finally found a home among Curb Records. And since her signing,
Natalie Grant has headed nowhere but up. 2003 saw the release of Deeper
Life, a groundbreaking record for Grant, pushing her in the direction
of Awaken, her 2005 release. With the songwriting talents of Joy
Williams, Matthew West, Christa Wells, and Natalie herself, this album
is nothing short of an awakening in the career of this young artist.
Plumb, the Prague Sessions Orchestra, Nikki Leonti, and Wynonna Judd are
all included in this outing as well.
"Intro (The Awakening)" starts things off with an instrumental
introduction performed by the Prague Sessions Orchestra, leading into
the title track. Grant starts things off in the feel of her hits "I Will
Be" and "Live For Today" from Deeper Life, heading in an organic, upbeat
pop/rock driven direction. Helping out the writing, Grant explores the
themes of living a life awakened to Christ, an idea which ends up
running throughout the rest of the record. "Something Beautiful" keeps
with the upbeat, windows-down sound, much like something off of Joy
William's recent Genesis album. Near to the end of "Something Beautiful,"
she references the next song, "What Are You Waiting For,"
belting out, "What are you waiting for... there's something beautiful."
Natalie invites the listener to change the world in "What Are You
Waiting For," a song originally sung by Lindsay Lohan on The Confessions
of a Teenage Drama Queen soundtrack. The song doesn't differ much from
Lohan's version, except for the fact that Grant gives a much more mature
sound to the track. Next up is "The Real Me," the song which sparked a
book by the same name, penned by Grant herself. Finally slowing things
down after three roaring pop/rock anthems, "The Real Me" examines the
insecurities every one of us faces in our daily lives, trying to live up
to the world's expectations of who we are "supposed to be." But with a
tender delivery, Grant reminds us God sees "the real me, hiding in my
skin, broken from within..." What emerges is Natalie's first major
ballad on this album.
"Another Day" returns to the pop/rock sound, but adds a moody edge
while reminding us that every day is a gift and a chance "to laugh, to
dance, watch the sun come up..." Natalie Grant has a growing passion to
reach young girls and boys who are being introduced into cruel human
trafficking systems in the world, and has recently founded the HOME
foundation to start combating this problem. "Home" is the song written
for girls in India, where Natalie visited to see firsthand what was
happening to these girls being illegally forced into sex trade. Building
off this emotional and powerful subject, Natalie has crafted her second
major ballad for Awaken.
Gentle guitars open "Captured," a softer pop track bursting into a
rousing chorus reminiscent of "Another Day." Finally building up to the
biggest ballad highlight on the album, Grant has saved "Held" for the
latter half. Penned by Christa Wells, who had recently dealt with loss in
her personal life, Natalie Grant sings out about being held even "when
the sacred is torn from your life..." Tiffany Arbuckle Lee (of Plumb)
contributes background vocals, giving this piano and string-led track the
perfect sound for Natalie, and a major radio hit. "You Move Me" has
almost the same feel as "Captured," just a slightly different theme, and
no bursting chorus. This song showcases her harmonies at their very best, and the
guitar flows us through the moody pop sound. Milan Jilek of the Czech
Republic continues the motif of "Intro (The Awakening)" in "Make Me
Over," another soft rock hitter from Natalie.
I almost took a double take when I saw that there was a song titled
"Live For Today" on Awaken. I quickly skipped to it and heard a repeat
from Deeper Life. The huge radio hit for Natalie Grant has made a
return, in its exact same format from her previous album. The theme of
the song fits well here since Grant is all about seizing the moment and
living through Christ. Wynonna Judd makes a guest appearance on "Bring
It Together," a soulful track complete with a background choir and a
chorus with energy to match any of the best gospel music out there.
Natalie feels really at home with Wynonna, and their voices blend
together to create one of the hidden highlights of the album. To finish,
Natalie has included an accompaniment version of "Held,"
with Tiffany Arbuckle Lee's vocals gently riding over the piano and
strings, creating a perfect mood to end the album with.
This time around, Natalie Grant has really outdone herself. The songwriting is
superb, despite slightly formulaic at moments, and her vocal prowess
shines through every high note. If you're a fan of Natalie Grant, or of
ballads or soft rock, then Awaken might just be the perfect choice.
- Review date: 10/21/05, written by Shaun Stevenson
Artist Info:Discography Record Label: Curb Records
Album length: 12 tracks
Street Date: March 22, 2005
Buy It:JfH Music Store
Artist Info: 
