Search - Gary Chapman :: After God's Own Heart

Takes some chances and succeeds -- mostly

Kenneth W. Henderson | Plano, TX USA | 04/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NOTE: I'm writing this review of Chapman's work in general, not just the tracks on this album. There is no single collection of all of Chapman's best work, but this album is as close as it gets, so I'll capture my thoughts here.



While still married to him, Amy Grant said in an interview that she and Gary Chapman were very different people. Gary's solo career of the last several years has given us some insight into just how different they really were. All those years behind the scenes of other artists' work (especially Grant's) had left Chapman a bit of a mystery man. One would see his name in the songwriting credits for this or that song or even hear him in the backing vocals for his wife or some other performer, but, for the most part, we were left to fill in the blanks vis-à-vis who he might be or what his role really was in Grant's success.



This album answers those questions. Yes, Amy Grant and Gary Chapman are different. Very different. As different as night and day.



And there's a good reason for that. There is actually substance to Chapman's work. And there's freshness and originality, creativity and experimentation, risks and mistakes, thought and insight. Popular music has never been known for its depth, but Chapman's body of work runs as deep as Grant's runs shallow. It's pretty clear that the real substance of Grant's early work came straight from the soul of Gary Chapman.



In an age when an insipid selfishness has overtaken popular music, in a time when most performers don't even aspire to be artists anymore, in a day when the last vestiges of individual talent and ability have become all but extinct in the world of pop music, Chapman's work stands out as a refreshing reminder that there are still those who aspire to true art. There are still those who refuse to take the easy money of cranking out trite drivel for the masses. They aspire to honing their craft, to freshness in their work, and to traveling roads less traveled. They don't always succeed, but at least they try.



One of the things I love most about Chapman is his versatility. His artistic range is so vast that he often sounds like a completely different vocalist from one song to the next. On one song, he sounds like the second coming of Gordon Lightfoot. On another, he's Muddy Waters or Eric Clapton. On still another, he calls to mind Michael W. Smith or Russ Taff. Always, though, he's earnest, creative, and thought-provoking. One line in the typical Chapman song is more profound than any thought Vince Gill has ever had.



My favorite of the Chapman songs I've heard is "If You Ever Need Me." Beyond the hook that most Chapman songs have, this one features a melody that is elegant in its simplicity and a harmony that haunts me still. It's eerily reminiscent of Grant's "I Will Remember You," which Chapman also co-wrote. If I were guessing, I'd say this one was written as a message to Amy. Given the timing and the words themselves, I think that's a safe bet. And I think about what a pity it is that the song couldn't have featured Grant's breathy vocals, either as the lead or in a duet with Chapman. I think it would have taken the song from a great song to a classic one - to one for the ages, just as "I Will Remember You" is.



Another favorite is "This Gift," from Chapman's Christmas album. Like "Tennessee Christmas" and a couple of others on Grant's first Christmas album, this one covers the well-traveled ground of Christmas in a fresh and original way - no mean feat. Chapman's vocals are crisp, deep, and resonate with emotion. He means what he's saying, an undercurrent of unspoken desperation underlies the whole song. I'm even more certain this one was written for Amy. It sounds like a last-ditch effort to reach his wife and save his marriage. If so, Gary, I hope you've found someone else on whom to bestow gems like these. There's a great verse in the early part of Matthew 7 about what happens when you cast your pearls before the wrong people.



I'm also a big fan of "One of Two." The words are sincere and the music brings peace to the soul. I'm sure this one will become a perennial wedding favorite.



One last song I'll mention is "Gospel Ship." I first heard this tune done by The Imperials in the early 80s. Chapman jazzs it up, and turns the song into an over-the-top blues number like the kind you might hear in a New Orleans lounge. His raspy vocals breathe new life into this old standard and call to mind Paul Rodgers and the great R&B vocalists of the late 60s and early 70s. He turns what was essentially a quartet song performed by southern gospel artists decades ago into a rock and roll number that Z.Z. Top would be proud of.



So, yes, it's true: Amy Grant and Gary Chapman are very different people. Definitely no "two peas in a pod" as Grant recently said of her relationship with new husband Vince Gill. And, based on what I've seen of Chapman's work: Thank God for it.



"