Collection (Reis) [Original recording remastered]

Amy Grant | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 14, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sparrow
• ASIN: B000SUKPNO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #76 in Music > Christian > Compilations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and ageless music, December 11, 2007

By 

Miss Parker "RitaLee" (Arima, Trinidad) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Collection (Reis) (Audio CD)

I bought this album years ago without knowing many of the songs on it, except perhaps "El Shaddai" and "Thy Word." I was not disappointed with the rest of the collection. I still enjoy listening to the entire album. All of the songs have a beautiful, inspirational message. Some of my favorites (apart from the ones mentioned above) are "I have decided", "In A Little While", "Sing Your Praise to the Lord", "Father's Eyes", and "Find A Way". For Christmas 2007, I will be purchasing a copy for one of my friends as a gift.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply, WOW, March 3, 2010

By 

Nicholas Young (Fort Wayne, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Collection (Reis) (Audio CD)

It's truly amazing how good this album is, 24 years after it's original release. This was the first cassette I ever purchased, at the grand old age of 8. I used to listent to this all the time, everywhere I went. I got older, my musical tastes changed, but I still remembered this album. Over Christmas I downloaded it...and I've been listening to it regularly ever since.

This isn't one of those albums that's necessarily "ageless" - as in, it has a timeless sound or quality to it. The music is pretty firmly rooted in late 70's and early/mid 80's pop. But it's still really enjoyable: the melodies are what really take it away, as is the fact that so many of these songs have managed to find their way into the CCM canon.

It's worth a listen. It's worth a few listens. I'm really glad I have this album to listen to, again and again.

4.0 out of 5 stars It is very 80's, but enjoyable on the whole, January 25, 2012

By 

liz blue eyes - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Collection (MP3 Download)

Had I bought this in 1985 I wouldn't have considered this dated. When released, each song sounded very refreshing, and is still in totality a pleasure to listen to. A modern listener, especially if they possess no 1980's nostalgia or are hearing this for the first time, may simply laugh at the music, though. No offense to anyone who worked on the albums, including Amy- but some of the lyrics are a little sappy at times, and it's not exactly a group of tunes for the hardcore amongst us. It still stands up well enough, though, when one reviews the Contemporary Christian songbook in entirety. Expect to hear plenty of synthesizers & 80's-style arrangements. But in comparing the music to, say, Sandi Patty's work from the same era, Amy's is WAYYYYYYYYYY more hip. Sandi, while possessing a lovely voice (and technically better than Grant's), sang songs reminiscent of those heard on television evangelists' shows. In other words, seriously laughable at times unless you REALLY took those shows/type of music seriously. Amy, by contrast, sounds like a pop singer who just happens to focus some of her lyrics on her faith, Jesus & God. This is the CD I often give to newly-converted Christian friends, because (with a couple of exceptions) the tunes here aren't based on condemning the listener or making them feel bad for their flaws. It's an upbeat mix, by & large, and pretty easy to swallow for the pop music-loving crowd.

"Stay for Awhile" isn't a must-have track to me, but it's okay as background music. "Find a Way" is a song that could easily have been played on Top 40 stations, or Adult Contemporary, and no one would've noticed the Christian influence at all. Actually, I think the song did just that! The tune tends to be very well-liked by those not crazy about the "praise & worship" craze CC music has fallen into in the years since then. "Everywhere I Go" is another easygoing piece, nothing earth-shattering, but a truly Christian work. "Angels", "I'm Gonna Fly", "Where Do You Hide Your Heart" & "All I Ever Have to Be" do nothing for me, personally, so I'll refrain from comment on them- nothing terrible, just not influential to me. "Thy Word" is a vocally-repetitive but quite beautiful song, and Amy's slightly raspy but strong alto voice was at it's best when recording it. I find it the most Puritanical of music here, but it's disarmingly pretty. "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" is the stadium-ready, wall-of-sound track that first convinced many they wanted to buy Amy's work in the first place. The rousing intro leads to a well-written, if lyrically-simplistic, song. "El Shaddai", perhaps the most sacred work of Grant's entire catalog, is sure to get your heartstrings pulled if you possess even an ounce of love for God. "Emmanuel" is a track that has a little rock influence, and is a song even those who normally dislike the CC genre can listen to with less animosity. "I Have Decided" engages in an out-of-character manner for Grant, as it is clearly on the judgmental side & is a little legalistic, but is nonetheless speaking about something we all need to hear- as a Christian, you can't be a fence-sitter, and you can't just do whatever you want & expect God to cover your tush if you give Him no time, love or attention. "Father's Eyes" is probably appealing to the needier amongst us, but is a little saccharine to me. It seems to drip w/ a sweetness & innocence that sounds a little forced even from the very youthful & sincere Amy Grant of that time period. But "Ageless Medley" is my hidden-on-the-iPod, guilty-pleasure track, as it screams "I came out in the mid-80's!"...but I love it! It combines the songs here in a fun, new way, little tidbits of each having been completely reworked & re-recorded by Amy. I listen to it a lot, as it's got a bunch of energy & is sort of it's own little "greatest hits" song in itself.

The biggest, most puzzling omission from this- and one of the best songs Grant ever recorded- is the very good "The Now and the Not Yet". For that song alone, buy her "Straight Ahead" album, which was released two years before this collection came out. Well-received by both critics & fans, I'm not sure why the song wasn't included, unless it was done purely for financial reasons by the record company. The song & album of the same name, "Lead Me On", came out two years after this collection did, hence it's exclusion from the album. But that is also another good track, and a must-have for an AG fan.