Certain voices grab you from the first time you hear them and never let go. That’s how I felt the first time I heard Ashley Cleveland. She sang some featured vocals on Steve Taylor’s “I Predict 1990” and later on Margaret Becker’s “Simple House,” so when I heard that Atlantic Records signed her and would release her solo debut, I got excited.
Cleveland banged around the music scene in Nashville and California for years before starting a solo career. She played and sang in John Hiatt’s band, did plenty of session work, and even sang a song on the soundtrack of that comedy classic “Ernest Goes to Camp.”
Her voice is soulful and bold with just enough grit to allow her to growl like a rocker. That unforgettable voice, combined with her evocative songwriting, served her well on her debut, 1991's “Big Town.”
Kicking off with an a cappella verse of Andrae Crouch’s “Soon and Very Soon,” Cleveland rocks into the title cut, which serves as a bit of an autobiography. She doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of her past — “I gave a few years to fantasy / And a few more to drugs and drinking” — but her deep Christian faith colors her outlook as she sings that she hopes to see the listener in the “big town” of Heaven.
“Love on the Mainline” tells the story of a woman who keeps returning to the romantic mistakes she’s made time and time again.
Cleveland wrote “Willy” for Hiatt, who recorded it as “Lilly,” but she makes it her own here.
The album’s centerpiece may be the epic “I Could Learn to Love You.” Clocking in at just over seven minutes, Cleveland sings about growing in her love for someone. Is she singing about loving a man or about her devotion to God? You be the judge.
The tender and sweet “Tentative Man” is about understanding that the man she’s in love with takes his time when it comes to romance.
“Angel” tackles spiritual matters — or is it using the angelic as a metaphor for romance? It’s somewhat esoteric, but she admits as much when she sings, “The things that confound mortal minds are not impossible to God / That’s a capital G, baby.”
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“Up From the Ether” is about waking up (literally and figuratively) and living life to the fullest.
“We Can Dance” is about the give-and-take of a committed relationship between opposites.
“Walk to the Well” is another semi-autobiographical song about walking the steps of growing as a Christian. She sings, “I asked to see what was hidden / I saw the depth and the scope / Of disappointment and longing / I saw my sin and my hope, my hope.”
Cleveland closes the album with another tender ballad. “Rebecca” is a love letter to her older daughter, and she sings of the wonder and trepidation of first-time motherhood. “Who gave who the gift of life?” she sings. “I’ll call it a toss-up.”
Cleveland went on to a long career in Christian music, bringing her big voice and heartland rock to an industry that sorely needed it. She became the first woman to garner a Grammy nomination in the Christian rock category and won three times. She retired from the industry in 2021 and now serves in a paid staff role at her church.
“Big Town” isn’t perfect. I’m not crazy about the cliché-ridden “I’ll Call You,” but 11 of the 12 tracks are outstanding. In a perfect world, everybody would hail this album as a classic. Unfortunately, it’s a secret that's too well kept.
But you can stream it on Spotify or in lossless audio on Apple Music below. Cleveland also offers a free 30th anniversary download on her website. Treat yourself to this incredible album.
