Straight Ahead (Amy Grant album)
Straight Ahead is the fifth studio album, and eighth album by Christian music artist Amy Grant, released in 1984.
Straight Ahead was the follow-up to Grant's ground-breaking 1982 album Age to Age. Containing songs that were more aggressive than the ones found on Age to Age, Straight Ahead was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. Nonetheless, it still topped Billboard's Christian album chart for sixty-one weeks, knocking Age to Age from the number-one position. The song "Angels" was also a No. 1 Christian radio hit for thirteen weeks, and won a Grammy Award for "Best Gospel Performance, Female." Straight Ahead would be certified gold in 1985. The song "Thy Word" is based on Psalm 119:105.
In 2007, Straight Ahead was reissued and digitally remastered by Grant's new record label, EMI/Sparrow Records. The remastered edition is labeled with a "Digitally Remastered" logo in the 'gutter' on the CD front.
Straight Ahead was the first Christian album to chart on the Billboard 200 chart. A&M reissued it in 1985, just as Grant was appearing on the Grammy Awards performing "Angels".
Track listing
Personnel
- Amy Grant – lead vocals, background vocals
- Robbie Buchanan – Roland Jupiter 8, acoustic piano, synthesizer, keyboards, arrangements, Fender Rhodes
- Michael W. Smith – keyboards, Yamaha GS-2, acoustic piano
- Alan Steinberger – additional synthesizers, synthesizers
- Shane Keister – additional synthesizers, synthesizer, organ
- Gary Chapman – background vocals, guitar, guitar solo
- Jon Goin – electric guitar, "fly" guitar, guitar
- Dann Huff – guitar solo, guitar
- Dean Parks – guitar
- Mike Brignardello – bass guitar
- Andy Widders-Ellis – stick bass
- Duncan Mullins – bass guitar
- Paul Leim – drums
- Kenny Malone – drums
- Lenny Castro – percussion
- Farrell Morris – percussion
- Alan Moore – string arrangements
- Donna McElroy – background vocals
- Kim Fleming – background vocals
- Gary Pigg – background vocals
- Debrorah Black – background vocals
- Bill Champlin – background vocals
- Tamara Champlin – background vocals
- Carmen Twillie – background vocals
- Marty McCall – background vocals
- Leann Jones – background vocals
- Curt Lyles – background vocals
- Mark Mason – background vocals
- Steve George – background vocals
- Richard Page – background vocals
- Thomas Cain – background vocals
- Chris Harris – background vocals
- Billy Sprague – background vocals
- David Thornton – background vocals
- Ron Downey – background vocals
- Brown Bannister – producer
- Michael Blanton – executive producer
- Dan Harrell – executive producer
- Gary Chapman – executive producer
- Jack Joseph Puig – audio engineer
- Jim Baird – additional engineer
- Kevin Burns – additional engineer
- Gene Eichelberger – additional engineer
- Steven Ford – additional engineer
- Jerry Mahler – additional engineer
- Daniel Garcia – additional engineer
- Dennis Hill – design
- Mike Borum – photography
- Aaron Rapoport – photography
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
| 1984 | Top Contemporary Christian | 1 |
| 1985 | The Billboard 200 | 133 |
Singles - CCM Magazine
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
| 1984 | "Angels" | Christian Radio–Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 1984 | "Thy Word" | Christian Radio–Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| 1984 | "Jehovah" | Christian Radio–Adult Contemporary | 2 |
| 1984 | "The Now And The Not Yet" | Christian Radio–Adult Contemporary | 20 |
End of year charts
End-of-decade charts
Certifications and sales
Accolades
GMA Dove Awards| Year | Winner | Category |
| 1985 | Straight Ahead | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year |
Grammy Awards
| Year | Winner | Category |
| 1985 | "Angels" | Best Gospel Performance, Female |