Grant to perform at Stambaugh Auditorium

May 7, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

Amy Grant often finds herself on the road; however, the Christian contemporary musician isn’t living the life of luxury one would expect from a six-time Grammy winner who has sold 30 million albums.

“I’m doing great this morning; I just made a cup of in-room coffee with powdered creamer,” said Grant, calling from a tour stop in Virginia. “Life is good. I’m just living off the land in my hotel. Whatever they have is whatever I’m drinking.”

When it’s pointed out Grant doesn’t sound like a finicky diva making luxurious — if not illogical — requirements while on the road, she laughed. “No, I’ve parented. Once you’ve parented, I feel like all your expectation goes way down.”

One area where expectations were high was her recently released “Be Still And Know ... Hymns & Faith,” which was recorded with her country superstar husband, Vince Gill. The project features several tracks from previously released projects — “Legacy ... Hymns & Faith” and “Rock of Ages ... Hymns & Faith” — which, combined, sold more than 800,000 copies.

“I feel like I’m always trying to provide music that makes life’s journey a little easier,” Grant said. “When we were in the studio, I always pictured somebody in their car or having some kind of rare moment of solitude, and they might say, ‘I think I’m just going to put something on to breathe.’ That was the reason behind the record.”

In addition to previously released songs “Rock of Ages” (featuring Gill), “El Shaddai,” “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” and “Deep as it is Wide” (featuring Sheryl Crow and Eric Paslay), newly recorded tunes include the Gill produced “Power in the Blood” and “Be Still and Know.”

Grant said she’d love to tour the project with Gill but was unable to do so now due to his busy schedule. Instead, she’s hitting the road once again with Michael Smith. Only a few years removed from the duo’s “2 Friends Tour,” this time out the Christian contemporary music artists are on their “Celebration of Songs & Hymns Tour,” which comes to Youngstown on Monday for a show at Stambaugh Auditorium.

“The tour is not about solitude,” Grant said. “Michael and I are so excited. We just want to create a sense of community, because with technology, I’ve never been more connected to so many people, but there are times in the middle of all that that I feel kind of isolated.

“Our intention is these songs are primarily about the faith journey. The first half of the show will be longer with a definite set list. Michael and I will be participating on each other’s songs. The second half will be shorter but less scripted.”

To explain the type of intimacy intended for the “Celebration of Songs & Hymns Tour,” Grant told a story about decades ago attending a Music Row church where a revolving door of people would get up to lead the congregation into a spontaneous song service.

Grant said every time she walked in the door and saw Michael at the piano, she would instantly become relaxed.

“I always trusted where he was going to take the night,” Grant said. “Music is very participatory, and so you want somebody in charge of the night to feel very connected and intuitive, especially if you’re trying to do things spontaneously.

“It’s not unlike romance — you don’t want somebody always operating from a script. You want to feel like you’re in a moment, and this could go into a lot of directions. This is our hope for the night.”

It sounds as though Grant’s idea for this tour is to leave behind the powdered creamer of life for something more enriching and memorable.

“Sounds like it,” Grant said, laughing. “Way to bring that back around.”