Point of Grace: From Contemporary Christian to Pop to Country

Well it's no secret that the all-girl, multi Dove Award-winning Christian pop trio Point of Grace has undergone several changes over the last twenty years. Besides losing longtime members Terry Jones in November 2003 and Heather Payne in June 2008, the group has been changing their musical style in an effort to suit the tastes of their audience.

With the addition of vocalist Leigh Cappinillo in March 2004, just in time to be featured on their 2004 release I Choose You, Point of Grace slowly made the transition from contemporary Christian to a more generally faith-based and mainstream pop style. But hey, after you've had 27 No. 1 radio singles and sold over six million albums worldwide, why not try changing things up a bit?

In perhaps the most radical musical shift of their career, the girls recently transitioned to a country style not unlike that of the popular groups Lady Antebellum and Sugarland, started truncating (or should I say truncatin') their verb endings and even threw a classic pedal steel guitar and some mandolin pickin' into the mix. Talk about changing things up!

Their latest release No Changin' Us (ironic title if you ask me) shines as a bright reflection of the group's extreme refashioning, not only musically but lyrically as well. And with song titles like "Hometown" and "Love and Laundry," it's become clearer than ever that Point of Grace has officially taken the plunge and gone country.

But before longtime fans start blasting the group for this seemingly spontaneous transformation, it should be noted that No Changin' Us still contains the girls' faith-based lyrics, catchy rhythms and the signature vocal harmonies that skyrocketed them to fame all those years ago. Not to mention longtime, Nashville-based album super-producer Nathan Chapman (of Taylor Swift's Fearless) had a hand in the making of this latest recording. Chapman's direction and guidance ensured that the album would maintain an element of Southern charm, while still reflecting the group's themes of family and faith.

In the end, many fans will walk away from this album disappointed, while others will be adventurous enough to step out on a limb and join the group on their new journey. What remains to be seen is whether or not Point of Grace will garner an entire new demographic of country music fans with future albums or if they'll ultimately decide to revert back to their old pop roots.