Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The sleeve picture shows that veteran Phil's done something peculiar with his hair (He should be so lucky. Ed) but presumably this is not to which the title refers. It refers to the radical change of musical direction that has finally and thankfully overtaken Phil. In the past his albums have been a peculiar mixture of musical elements, lush, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink orchestrations wrapped around endless trumpet solos which despite being technically superb were the musical equivalent of conjuring tricks - all flashy trickery almost totally lacking the sensitivity that his praise and worship dominated material demanded. Now another veteran, producer and drumming maestro Bill Maxwell has sorted Phil out and put the musical focus not on flashy trumpet overkill but on Phil's jagged, guttural blue eyed soul voice. Cynics might say this album for all its funky musical craft is just another example of Christendom unimaginatively finding a Christian equivalent of whatever's hot in the secular market. And certainly there are occasions here when the shadow of a certain Michael Bolton is cast a little TOO emphatically over the proceedings. But the songs, achingly soulful ballads and funky mid tempo bubblers (his revival of Koinonia's "Talk About It" is a gem) are of the highest quality, the playing (yep, most of Koinonia) is superb and this is an album which rewards repeated listening. If Phil is still unknown to you or if you'd written him off years ago, investigate this soulful, spirit-lifting album. The picture changes indeed.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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