Amazing Grace 3
A Country Salute to Gospel
Sparrow Records

In 1995, Sparrow Records released an album called Amazing Grace. It was a collection of traditional gospel hymns performed by contemporary country artists. Proving to be a success, a second collection was released in 1997. Amazing Grace 3-A Country Salute to Gospel is the third installment in this series that continues to celebrate the gospel hymns that have endured for decades and that connect generations together in their praise and glory of God.

A bluegrass-tinged version of "I'll Fly Away," performed by Keith Urban, opens the album. A well-chosen opener, it begins with Keith performing solo with acoustic guitar before an upright bass and remaining instruments, such as banjo and mandolin, join in.

Sara Evans performs an upbeat and uplifting version of "In The Sweet By and By" while Jamie O'Neal's performance of "I Need Thee Every Hour" is a pure and reverent arrangement that allows the message of the song to shine through.

The album contains a variety of artists and musical arrangements. There's rising country stars like Josh Turner and Dierks Bentley alongside more established artists such as Trace Adkins and Sara Evans. Even though it's country's salute to gospel, two acts involved, contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman and bluegrass/gospel group The Isaacs, aren't even considered contemporary country artists. Both of these acts fit right in though on this album with Steven Curtis Chapman performing "Nothing But The Blood" with Mark Miller, lead singer of Sawyer Brown, and The Isaacs performing "He Touched Me."

Musical arrangements span from the simplicity of Cyndi Thomson singing a soft and tender version of " 'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus," to the rhthymic upright bass beat in "Victory In Jesus" performed by Trace Adkins, to the swinging combination of fiddle, organ and piano in Joe Nichols' version of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee."

"It Is No Secret" performed by Dierks Bentley, Buddy Jewell's version of "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" and "Softly And Tenderly" performed by Josh Turner round out the album. Each song on this album is arranged and performed so that the song and the message shine, not the instruments or the performer. It's easy to see why these songs have been sung for years and how God can use these songs to move people.

- Brooke Smith