Description
Unguarded is the sixth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Amy Grant, released on Myrrh Records in May 1985, a division of Word. Also manufactured and distributed by A&M Records. The album was recorded by Jack Joseph Puig at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado; 1984-1985, with Brown Bannister producing. (Unguarded was actually the last album recorded at the Caribou studio before it was damaged by fire.) Later mixed at Mama Jo’s Recording Studio in North Hollywood, California. Backing vocals provided by Chris Eaton, Bill Champlin, The Front‘s Tommy Funderburk, as well as Richard Page and Steve George of Pages and Mr. Mister fame.
The fact that Amy Grant at this point was selling hundreds of thousands of albums wasn’t lost on the mainstream label A&M Records. In January 1985, Word Records announced that it had entered into a distribution agreement with A&M Records, whose first job was to take Grant into the mainstream. (Petra’s Beat the System was actually the first Word album delivered to A&M as a part of their new distribution agreement, released in February, and Petra stayed neck and neck with Amy Grant for the top of the contemporary Christian charts through much of the summer, according to the October 19, 1985 issue of Billboard Magazine.) In May 1985 Unguarded was released on A&M Records. The single “Find a Way” found its way into Billboard’s Top 40, a feat never before accomplished by an artist signed to a label in the Christian marketplace. Unguarded went Gold in about 45 days, which made it the first contemporary Christian album to achieve that status in such short time. (A&M Records sold slightly more copies in the mainstream stores than Word did in the Christian bookstores, where anywhere from 80-90 % of all gospel records had sold in the past.) According to CCM Magazine, Unguarded was the 6th best selling album of 1985 in the Christian music market (two of Amy’s previously released albums, Age to Age and Straight Ahead, both actually out-sold Unguarded in the Christian marketplace in 1985), as well as the second best selling album the following year.
By 1986, Amy Grant had become a full-blown celebrity, Unguarded went platinum, she appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “Christmas in Washington” with the President and Mrs. Reagan, and in her own one-hour Christmas special on NBC. (As well, in 1986 Amy Grant had her first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, “The Next Time I Fall”, a duet with Peter Cetera featured on Cetera’s solo album Solitude/Solitaire produced by Michael Omartin. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.)
‘Unguarded’ is a gutsy, dramatic move for Amy Grant. She could’ve sold another million copies of an ‘Age to Age‘ clone. Instead, she chose to work toward a tougher, leaner, sound something more akin to Cyndi Lauper than Jamie Owens-Collins.
At the same time, ‘Unguarded’ reflects a different lyric outlook – more personal, more reflective. And while songs like «Fat Baby» (from ‘Age to Age’) were written by Christians for other Christians who know the jargon, the songs on ‘Unguarded’ are for a broader audience. I realize it’s a controversial stance, but I don’t see this as watered-down message. Instead, it’s a message from one Christian to the world.
Having said all that, this isn’t Tina Turner. Not yet. The opening cuts on each side – «Love of Another Kind» and «Fight» – are the closest things to rock Amy has ever attempted. Both are dramatic, emphatic, almost new-wave rock songs, sung with a growl that I never would’ve believed possible even a couple of years ago.
«Love You» is a love song to husband Gary, one that works despite a hack-neyed door-slamming engine-gunning audio verite opening. Here, it’s uptempo pop/rock, where once it would’ve been strictly pop. That added bite makes it all the more effective.
Can a white girl sing the blues? «Wise Up» and «Who to Listen To» make up a nifty little suite on side two. «Wise Up» is modern r&b funk sung with a raspy, throaty growl and a great a cappella ending. I hope one of those shrieks is Amy’s. If «Wise Up» is the Bar-Kays, the «Who to Listen To» is Luther Vandross: slow and simmering funk, smoky and believable. In both cases, the lyrics extol a positive, ethical lifestyle… without preaching.
Old-time fans will feel more comfortable with «Sharayah», a bit of catchy, immaculately crafted pop that’s closer to some of the tunes off ‘Straight Ahead‘ than anything else on ‘Unguarded’. «The Prodigal» is a traditional worship ballad, lushly produced and lovingly sung.
There are a few miscues on ‘Unguarded’. «Find a Way» sounds like a couple of songs hammered together. «Everywhere I Go» proves Amy can sing synthesized reggae as well, but the song doesn’t go anywhere. «Stepping into Your Shoes» sounds great, but doesn’t say anything.
I really think that, given half a chance, ‘Unguarded’ will make a significant impact in the mainstream market and expose Christian music to a whole new audience. And for those who say she’s selling out, it’s a matter of direction. Are we in this business to stroke the body or to take the message to a dying world? With ‘Unguarded’, Amy Grant takes the message where it’s needed most. [Bob Darden, CCM, June 1985]
Unguarded, 2007 Re-issue
‘Unguarded’, first released in 1985, was Amy Grant’s ninth album. In 2007 Amy’s new record label re-issued and digitally remastered it on CD. I bought it as a vinyl LP and clearly listened to it a lot back then because when I played this new CD I could still remember all the lyrics! Back in the ’80s pop music was dominated by synthesizers – keyboards that didn’t pretend to be pianos or anything else – and they are here in abundance, in place of the piano and acoustic guitar that characterised many of Amy’s earlier songs. ‘Unguarded’ embraced the contemporary pop sound, synths and all, and was unashamedly aimed at the mainstream music market. ‘Unguarded’ marked a big change from Amy’s two previous regular studio albums, ‘Age To Age‘ and ‘Straight Ahead‘, and indeed created something of a storm in middle America. I think she only says Jesus and God each on one separate occasion through the course of the whole album – a big risk in 1985 for the top selling Christian music artist in the USA. Despite this, the top track «Find A Way» was a number one hit on the Christian radio charts and the album generated a further four hit singles. With the help of the album’s distributor in secular outlets, A&M Records, three of its singles reached the mainstream charts. «Find A Way» was a Top Ten hit on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, while «Everywhere I Go» and «Wise Up» also charted. The album was certified gold in September 1985, and platinum in June 1986. The great thing is that ‘Unguarded’ doesn’t really have a weak track on it. Beside the singles, «I Love You» is noteworthy as Amy’s first “secular” love song, dedicated to her then husband Gary Chapman. The Brown Bannister production was, and still is, legendary and the whole project drew on a dream team of CCM musicians of the ’80s – including Michael W Smith and Robbie Buchanan on those synths, Dan Huff on guitar and Mike Brignardello on bass. This album still sounds as fresh as it did when I first heard it in 1985 and should be essential listening for Amy’s newer fans and anyone who missed all the fun of the ’80s. [Nigel Harris, Cross Rhythms, April 2008]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/unguarded/1536221839)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Love Of Another Kind” – 3:20
A2. “Find A Way” – 3:25
A3. “Everwhere I Go” – 4:09
A4. “I Love You” – 4:23
A5. “Stepping In Your Shoes” – 4:33
Side Two
B1. “Fight” – 4:42
B2. “Wise Up” – 3:53
B3. “Who To Listen To” – 4:21
B4. “Sharayah” – 4:51
B5. “The Prodigal” – 5:08
Note: Simultaneously released on 8-track tape, cassette, and 12-inch vinyl LP by both Myrrh Records and A&M Records. Re-issued on CD in May 1985 (the CD edition was actually reviewed in the March 1986 issue of CCM Magazine). (Unguarded was Word Record’s first album released on CD.)
To celebrate the 35th anniversary Unguarded was released a double disc, white vinyl, limited edition on October 16th, 2020. (Also available through all streaming services, featuring the full original album, along with four live tracks and commentary from Grant talking about the recording process and more.)
A double-page advertisement for Amy Grant’s Unguarded was featured in the June 1985 issue of CCM Magazine.
A full-page advertisement for Sony Walkman – featuring Word signed artist Amy Grant’s Unguarded – was featured in the July and August 1985 issues of CCM Magazine. (The album track “Wise Up” was included on the multi-artist cassette sampler, Take ’em With You, while another album track, “The Prodigal”, was included on the multi-artist cassette sampler, Take ’em With You 2.)
A&M Records released Unguarded with four different covers (Amy Grant pictured in various postures), with the bottom of the spine labeled W, O, R, or D, respectively. When the album was issued on compact disc, the ‘D’ variation became the standard version for the cover.
A full page Unguarded Tour ad was featured in the June 29, 1985 issue of Billboard Magazine.
CREDITS. Produced by Brown Bannister and engineered by Jack Joseph Puig. Recorded in 1984-1985 at Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado. Mixed at Mama Jo’s Recording Studio, North Hollywood.
Musicians: Amy Grant (Lead Vocals), Robbie Buchanan (Synthesizer), Shane Keister (Synthesizer), Dann Huff (Electric Guitar), Jon Goin (Electric Guitar), Michael Landau (Electric Guitar), Mike Brignardello (Bass), Paul Leim (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion). Backing Vocals by Bill Champlin, Chris Eaton, Richard Page, Steve George, Tom Kelly, Tommy Funderburk.
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