The soft-spoken but determined artist regularly runs and walks a three-mile course near the turn-of-the-century farmhouse she shares with J.D., her producer/musician husband, and a menagerie of dogs and cats, but the time she spends singing, songwriting, and touring to develop her career is working out well, too.
Ashton displays her vocal prowess on three major projects. A Distant Call, her first solo album in three years, showcases the passionate pop sounds she's been exercising in mega-tours with Garth Brooks, the Trio (Susan, Margaret Becker, and Christine Dente in Along the Road), and Gary Chapman. She sings a pair of duets with Sandi Patty and Chapman on the recent Christmas release Emmanuel, and toured in the star-studded holiday event capitalizing on the success of previous Young messiah concerts. And, her treatment of a Sheryl Crow tune "All Kinds of People," landed on the followup to the '96 certified gold collection, WOW 1997.
In addition, she contributed duets with Chapman to Come Together, America Salutes the Beatles, with Billy Dean to the Grammy-award winning Amazing Grace: A Country Salute to Gospel, and the number one ballad, "Psalm 121" to My Utmost for His Highest: The Covenant.
"I've been busy," she laughs, when quizzed about her thriving workload. "I've been touring pretty much nonstop during the last three years. I'm ready for a break but it's time to look forward to the next record."
The new album will have to wait, though, as the groundswell of support continues to rise for A Distant Call, a mature, diverse collection of themes repeating Ashton's usual messages of grace and mercy.
The Houston native and horse lover struck a responsive chord with industry veterans and fans alike right out of the gate. Her 1991 debut album, Wakened by the Wind, generated three number one hits ("Down on My Knees," "In Amazing Graceland," and "Ball and Chain"), earned her CCM magazine's Favorite New Artist award, and a Gospel Music Association Dove Award nomination.
Ashton came to the attention of Sparrow executives in 1988 following memorable background vocals on Wayne Watson's Watercolor Ponies. The 20-year-old Ashton landed a record contract and has been on the fast track ever since.
Smooth vocals, sensitive songs, and a penchant for acoustic pop stylings are the trademarks of her remarkable career. On A Distant Call, Ashton explores new territory with the addition of legendary producers Michael Omartian and Brown Bannister to her exclusive working relationship with Wayne Kirkpatrick -- her "musical soulmate." The result is a balanced contribution as Kirkpatrick produced four songs, Bannister produced three, and Omartian, the pop force behind Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart, and Michael Bolton, produced four.
The experience was both a challenging and educational one for Ashton. "I wanted to explore a little bit and try some different things. I learned a lot," she said. "Obviously every producer has their own way of making a record, a different approach. Brown has been the executive producer on all my records, and I worked with Michael when Gary (Chapman) and I did the duet on the Beatles record. They were both relationships that were natural to fall into."
"All Kinds of People" and "Body and Soul" were released simultaneously to the contemporary and adult markets. "I Will Follow" and "Love Profound," a slow-paced charmer aided by Alison Krauss and Union Station's track, lean toward country. But it was Crow's material, the first release, and "Hundreds of Tears," that were the most different for Ashton.
"They're the biggest departure from what I've done previously. Stylistically, it's more pop than usual. I feel like I really stretched."
Ashton is flexing her writing muscles, too, composing constantly, cultivating material from all facets of her multidimensional life. Although she wrote five songs for A Distant Call, she recorded just three: "Body and Soul," "Blind Side," and "Spinning Like a Wheel."
"This is the first record where I consider myself a songwriter, and I still don't think I'm a great songwriter. It's kind of my work in progress. You can spend a lifetime getting better at songwriting," she says.
Will there come a day when an entire album contains self-penned compilations?
"No," she says laughing. "I'd like to be able to say that, but there are too many other really great songwriters. It's important to be a part of it, and I definitely want to grow and get better at it, but I don't think I ever want a record that doesn't have a Wayne Kirkpatrick song on it."
Eleven songs, three producers, a range of styles, a year in the making . . . Ashton ponders her fourth solo project's impact.
"When your name's on something, even when you want to work a little bit longer on this or that, you come to the point when you have to stop and just let it be."
This self-proclaimed perfectionist pauses before bestowing a blessing on A Distant Call. "I'm really proud of it. I think it's my best record."
Sharon Harper enjoys acoustic music in all its forms.
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