Tag: Steve Grace

This is Steve’s third studio album and this one really started to set the Christian music market in Australia on fire. I am still entirely bewildered at why he wasn’t promoted more in the North America. This album did get a North American release but R.E.X. Music struggled with non heavy metal releases on their Storyville label. I am sure with proper promotion this guy would have been huge. The quality of songwriting is very very good and I feel his folksy sound would have been very well received though I do admit he has a strong Australian twang that hasn’t traditionally done well in the American market. To this day Australia has their own country music that does very well at home but not in America. Anyway onto the album. I feel his songwriting had really matured at this point. These songs aren’t just simple choruses and basic verses, instead these are real story telling songs. The score is much more basic but it should be for this style. So if you missed this one due to geography give it a listen now, it’s great.

Tracklist
1 – Liberty Road – 4:42
2 – Song For America – 4:52
3 – Droughtland Rain – 4:34
4 – Living For Love – 3:47
5 – Texas – 3:36
6 – Burning Town – 4:02
7 – Somebody – 4:05
8 – Things That Really Matter – 4:04
9 – Crazy Road Of Life – 3:32
10 – Waiting For You – 3:35
11 – Long Live Your Dreams – 4:16

Credits
Accordion – Jen Anderson
Acoustic Guitar – Phil Butson, Steve Grace
Arranged By [Vocals Arrangements] – Rose Bygrave
Backing Vocals – Andy Sorenson, Chris Butson, Dee Shannon, Jay McNeil, Kathy Johnston, Kerrie Simpson, Marcia Howard, Phil Butson, Rod Davies, Rose Bygrave, Shane Howard, Steve Grace
Bass – Steve Hadley
Drums – Peter Luscombe
Electric Guitar – Jeffrey Burstin, Phil Butson
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Kaj Dahlstrom
Fiddle – Jen Anderson
Guitar – Tommy Emmanuel
Guitar [Wah Wah Guitar] – Phil Butson
Harmonica – Steve Grace
Keyboards – Chong Lim
Mandolin – Jeffrey Burstin
Mastered By – Don Bartley
Mixed By – Doug Brady
Music By – Phil Butson, Steve Grace
Organ [Hammond] – James Black
Piano – James Black, Jen Anderson
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By – Phil Butson
Resonator Guitar [Dobro] – Tommy Emmanuel
Saxophone – Joe Camilleri, Rob Burke
Slide Guitar – Joe Camilleri
Violin – Jen Anderson
Words By – Steve Grace
Words By, Music By – Tim Hill

Companies, etc.
Mixed At – Metropolis Audio
Mixed At – Sing Sing Studios
Mastered At – EMI Studios 301

Steve Grace is another excellent artist out of Australia. This is his first album which sold very well in Australia and when it eventually made it to North America it sold relatively well here also. It was also the first Christian album in Australia to be released on CD. The album was produced by Beeb Birtles (Littler River Band) who also assisted with some of the songwriting. It would probably be categorized as AOR here in North America but I found it to be a well produced album with above average lyrics. When it did arrive in North America in 1990 “Big Dreams” singled hitting #16 on the CCM charts and lingering around for 12 weeks. If you missed this one in the 80’s you should give it a listen. It’s another example of the great music scene in Australia which we knew very little about here in North America. As an aside, the cut “Australian Country Towns” is begging to be a number one hit on the Austrailia Country charts if someone would cover it.

Tracklist
1 – Land Of The Rock – 4:38
2 – Big Dreams – 3:45
3 – Song For Kerrie – 4:22
4 – Life And Times – 4:26
5 – Edward Kelly – 5:56
6 – Children Of The Western World – 6:14
7 – To The Dealer – 3:59
8 – Lessons Of The Heart – 4:48
9 – Australian Country Towns – 4:00
10 – Prodigal Son – 3:04
11 – Solid Rock – 1:30

Credits
Cover, Art Direction – Mykl Pratt
Engineer – Doug Brady, Phil Butson
Engineer [Assistant] – Kaj Dahlstrom, Trevor Reading
Mixed By – Beeb Birtles, Doug Brady, Phil Butson
Photography By – Kirsty Chalmers
Producer – Beeb Birtles
Vocals – Steve Grace

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Word
Distributed By – Word
Distributed By – Word Records Limited
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Recorded At – Sing Sing Studios
Mixed At – Metropolis Audio