Jamie Grace is Ready to Fly (Album Review)

(Photo : Gotee Records)
Jamie Grace - Ready to Fly

Highlighting the unique tone and texture to her voice and her beautiful heart, Jamie's sophomore album hits all of the right notes. As we've come to expect from the young songstress, there is no comfortable little style box her music fits in. She combines elements of pop, country, R&B, and rock effortlessly.

"Beautiful Day" has already gone to radio, grabbing new fans and enchanting the old ones.

"Just a Friend" highlights the dreaded "friend zone" while viewing it in a different way than the worst place in the world. The person God created for you isn't necessarily the first one you meet and crush on. You can write his name on your notebooks until you run out of ink and photoshop the two of you together over and over again, but it won't make him the one for you.

While it isn't on the radio and may not even go, the fun and upbeat "To Love You Back" seems to sum up Jamie Grace as a person the best ... she loves God with everything she has and everything that she is.

The danceable "Always You" points out some of the flaws with the world today. Society tries to give us everything under the sun to fill the void of the God-shaped hole but it's all cheap imitation. No matter how bright and shiny something may look, it will never outshine the light of the Lord. Regardless of how happy something or someone may make you for the moment, it's always temporary. God is eternal and the love of Christ will never dull or fade away.

"Every Bit of Lovely" is a song that should be played to every single female on the planet. Society is big on telling us that we're too this or that or not enough and Jamie reminds us all that we're God's works of art. As a woman, a mom and a grandma, I smile every time I hear this one.

Closer and title track, "Ready to Fly (Avery's Song)" is a slower song with a tuba driving the back-beat. Yes, you read that correctly - a tuba! Jamie wrote the song the night before she turned 18 when it hit her that she didn't have to have her whole life figured out yet - she just had to be ready to fly in whatever direction God pointed her in. For whatever reason, the full cut wasn't included on her debut release, One Song at a Time. A 1:05 minute prelude gave a hint but that was it. A year later, it became apparent that it was all about God's timing. In October of 2012, an 11-year-old girl from Wisconsin named Avery McCarthy was killed in a car wreck. She was a Jamie Grace fan and the morning of her death, when her mom had been driving her to school, she had been singing along with "God's Girl." The last thing Avery said to her mom was, "You know, I really am a God girl." At her funeral, "Ready to Fly" was played to help her family and friends celebrate her flying home to Heaven.

From the prelude:

And I've got all the wishes from all of my friends
Hugs and kisses from my mom and my dad

There's a feather in my hair and a wing around my neck
I'm ready to fly away

When Jamie found out, she was touched beyond words and she dedicated the song to the lessons learned from the little girl's life and death. In an interview with USA Today, Grace said, "Though we never met, Avery taught me so much. God used Avery's life to remind that we don't know when God is going to call us home or open or close a door in our lives. As the title track and concept of the record, it is about being in the waiting with God, yet while you're waiting being ready to move — ready to fly — when the timing is right."

Timing and talent are two things that Jamie Grace has loads of and for those who were worried that she couldn't top her debut, breathe easy. She nailed this project from start to finish!

GENRE: Pop/Contemporary
RECORD LABEL: Gotee Records
RELEASE DATE: January 28, 2014
TRACKS: 13

Ready to Fly Track List: