With the July 2008 release of the independent follow-up to her 2005 self-titled EP, "These Cold and Rusted Lungs," Amy Courts shows with effortless fluency that she is indeed here to stay. With her trademark impassioned vocals, captivating melodies, and audacious honesty, she ably takes on love, heartache, spirituality, and personal demons. Though her voice and songs invoke inevitable comparisons to great singer-songwriters like Jennifer Knapp, Patty Griffin, Brooke Fraser, and Derek Webb, her sound and experience are uniquely her own, and are delivered with a rare distinction. Since making the move to Nashville in September 2003, Amy released a debut EP, took on marriage and step-motherhood, quit her day job, embarked on a full-time career in music, and became an artist sponsor with the African Aid organization, Mocha Club. “The past five years have been a bit of a whirlwind,“ Amy notes. “As my life has expanded into marriage, step-motherhood, and lending my voice and passion to the incredible needs in Uganda, I’m constantly aware of the need to deliberately give myself to something bigger than me. Whether by giving my family an hour of time I might rather spend writing or resting, forgiving someone who hasn’t asked for it, being deliberate about spiritual quietness, or acting on my human responsibility to care for the fatherless and the widow simply because I am able, I’m continually challenged and inspired to reach beyond my own issues into a wider sphere and higher calling.” And reach she does. As her life and passions have evolved, they have delivered Amy into a place of greater personal maturity and global understanding, which she explores in depth. Without becoming egocentric or self-indulgent, she dives into common human experiences with profound effect. In the rock ballads, “Hold You Up” and “Company,” Amy expresses that despite hurt, frustration, and time spent apart in marriage, committed, unconditional love is the end-all. Paradoxically, “Inevitable” and “I Told You So” relate to the harsher sides of romance, when efforts are exhausted and love isn’t quite enough. The more personal memoirs of “The Liars” and “Barely Breathing” show Amy fighting the inner demons of fear and disillusionment that invariably accompany spiritual drought. And still, she draws the focus back to ultimate hope with “Nothing Better” and “In You.” Though undeniably heavy and occasionally dark, Amy’s message music is ultimately a declaration of abandoned hope and a call to greater personal action. Where other artists skim the surface or sit comfortably in the realms of musical interest alone, Amy digs deep and gives generously from those depths. Whether through her on-stage performance, or in her daily passion for global and local social justice, Amy makes an indelible mark on everyone she meets.
