Thirty years ago, Susan Ashton released a Christian album with connections that stretched well beyond Christian radio. Arriving on October 1, 1996, A Distant Call brought together songs associated with Sheryl Crow, contributions from Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, and an opening number that would find another audience through Garth Brooks. Its anniversary offers an opportunity to revisit a record whose songwriting deserves attention alongside its famous credits.
The album's appeal rests on its combination of personal faith and a musical vocabulary shared with country, folk, and adult contemporary pop. That balance also divided its reviewers. AllMusic's Rodney Batdorf regarded its polished arrangements as pleasant but insufficiently adventurous, while Cross Rhythms reviewer Mary Brows praised Ashton's expressive voice and the musicianship surrounding it. Those contrasting assessments identify the question at the heart of this retrospective: does the album's polish soften its impact, or give its songs room to communicate?
"You Move Me" provides the strongest starting point. Written by Gordon Kennedy and Pierce Pettis, the opening song explores transformation through the experience of being moved beyond fear and emotional paralysis. Within a Christian album, its language invites a spiritual reading; its subsequent appearance on Brooks' Sevens demonstrates how readily the same song could reach a country audience. That flexibility is a strength: the song creates space for recognition without requiring every listener to approach it from the same direction.
Its origin makes the connection even more interesting. Pettis told Puremusic that the first ideas emerged during a Christmas spent alone after an exceptionally difficult year. Kennedy subsequently helped shape the song and suggested its title. According to Pettis, neither writer initially expected much commercial interest; Kennedy later played it for Ashton while working as her guitarist.
Ashton then helped carry the song to Brooks. In Pettis' account, she gave the country superstar an advance copy of her album, and Brooks quickly recorded his own version. The writers learned about it through Kennedy's brother, who heard Brooks play the recording. Behind the song's journey was an unexpectedly personal chain of introductions-a reminder that a major recording can begin with someone simply passing along music they believe in.
"Body and Soul" supplies a more explicitly Christian center. Co-written by Ashton, Chris Eaton, and Wayne Kirkpatrick, it locates hope in belonging to the Savior while acknowledging the fears that make such assurance necessary. Brows' contemporary review drew attention to its resemblance to the Heidelberg Catechism's emphasis on belonging to Christ. Read in that light, the song offers a substantial account of faith: assurance accompanies vulnerability rather than erasing it.
The Sheryl Crow connection adds another intriguing layer. Crow co-wrote "All Kinds of People" with Kevin Gilbert and Eric Pressley, and "Hundreds of Tears" with Bob Marlette. These are songwriting credits, rather than advertised vocal duets with Crow. Their inclusion places Ashton's repertoire in conversation with writers whose work traveled through mainstream pop and rock, widening the album's emotional and stylistic reach.
Other familiar names appear in equally specific roles. Amy Grant co-wrote "Send a Message" with Gayla and Jeff Borders, while Michael W. Smith joined Kirkpatrick in writing "Lonely River." Ashton also shares writing credits on "Blind Side," "Body and Soul," and "Spinning Like a Wheel," giving her an authorial presence among the outside contributions. The credits reveal a singer participating in the record's creation as well as interpreting material chosen from an impressive circle of writers.
Alison Krauss and Mac McAnally appear among the album's musicians, while production responsibilities were shared by Kirkpatrick, Brown Bannister, and Michael Omartian. An especially revealing detail survives in Ashton's acknowledgments, reproduced in the Cross Rhythms review: she thanked Grant for helping late in the process and warmly recognized Krauss' voice. These details give the sessions a human dimension beyond a list of notable collaborators.
The fairest retrospective verdict recognizes both the record's craft and its restraint. Listeners seeking a dramatic reinvention may share AllMusic's reservations about its familiar approach. Yet the case for revisiting A Distant Call lies in the relationship between its songs: transformation in "You Move Me," Christian belonging in "Body and Soul," and a repertoire that crosses established musical boundaries. Thirty years later, those connections provide a compelling reason to return to Ashton's work-and to hear the album as more than a footnote to the careers of its celebrated contributors.
