How Will Owsley III, known better as simply Owsley, never became a chart success I'll never know. Owsley was an uber-talented singer and songwriter who specialized in pop rock melodies that are just a joy to listen to again and again. Owsley got his start in Judson Spence's band, but came into his own with the 90s power pop band called The Semantics, which also featured Ringo Starr's son. The band was terrific but their music did not fit with the times. Owsley then went solo, releasing his first self-titled effort in 1999 to critical acclaim but into a commercial abyss. "Sonny Boy" is just a taste of wonderful stuff from this record, which includes other highlights like "Coming Up Roses" and "Good Old Days." Starting in 1994, Owsley also became a longtime player with superstars Amy Grant and Shania Twain. He still found time to release a second solo record in 2004 called "The Hard Way" (be sure not to overlook "Undone" and his version of Paul McCartney's "Band On The Run"). Sadly, he died from an apparent suicide in 2010 at the age of 44.
Amy Grant has had a successful career since her beginnings as a Christian artist in the late 70s. As she inched towards using more commercial lyrics, she started to amass some big chart hits, beginning with the underrated "Find A Way," which deserved better than the #29 position it hit in 1985. Her first #1 came in the form of a duet with Chicago's Peter Cetera, "The Next Time I Fall." She failed to capitalize on that success with her 1988 effort, "Lead Me On," whose title track stalled at #96. But Grant came back in a big way with 1991's "Heart In Motion" record, the most successful of her career. This record is home to four top ten hits including the #1 smash "Baby Baby." Her follow-up record, "House Of Love," didn't come close to the success of the former, but her duet with Vince Gill (the title track, which went to #37) might have helped net Grant her second husband. The two got married six years later. Grant steered into true adult contemporary by 1997's "Behind The Eyes" LP. The album yielded her last charting hit, "Takes A Little Time," which went to #21. "Leave It All Behind" is another breezy, feel good tune from this fine album worth your time.
