goodness of God. Unfortunately for her, the diva label is an apt description of her musical styling, which leads into the third unique trait. Despite her diminutive size, Natalie has an impressively big voice with enough nuance to hold her own among any of the classic pop divas (Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, take your pick), earning her multiple Dove nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year. Undeterred by collapsing record labels and pop music stereotypes, Natalie admirably presses on with Deeper Life, her third effort, by stretching her own artistic skills. Her previous album, Stronger (released in 2001), featured her first attempts at songwriting by co-writing a handful of tracks. On Deeper Life, she co-writes nearly every song. Additionally, Natalie steps up as co-producer of this album, joining a slew of A-list pop producers and songwriters: Tommy Simms (CeCe Winans, Anointed), Eric Foster White (Jessica Simpson, Whitney Houston), Bryan Lenox (Michael W. Smith, Ronnie Freeman), Bernie Herms (Plus One), and Rob Graves (songwriter and guitarist on Joy Williams's By Surprise). The approach on this project was to create an album that relied less on programmed pop and more on live musicians, and the results are indeed stunning. I daresay this is Natalie's best-sounding album yet. But we must keep it in perspective. This is still R&B-flavored; adult contemporary pop a la Mariah Carey, Jaci Velasquez, Kelly Clarkson, Jessica Simpson, and many others. It is most certainly not (as suggested by the press bio) the classic rock sound of Sheryl Crow or the modern pop/rock of Avril Lavigne. Christian adult contemporary and inspirational pop speaks for itself—some find it meaningful and poignant, while others find it clichéd and boring. In that spirit, the songs of Deeper Life are best explored for what they are—you'll know by the titles, lyrics, and styles if this music matches or offends your tastes. Nevertheless, there's no getting around Natalie's vocal prowess or the superior production, which means you're bound to be impressed with Deeper Life if you enjoy first-rate pop." Heather Marsden of Cross Rhythms claimed "This is Natalie Grant's third album and is positive proof that her new home at Curb Records is working well for her. The album opens with the upbeat title track 'Deeper Life', a poppy feel good song that's easy to pick up and sing along. 'Days Like These' and 'I Will Be' are in a similar style