Keaggy
subdues his masterful guitar here to take us to a diversity of paces and styles.
Keaggy is not famous for his singing, despite his Paul McCartney similarity. However,
on so many songs here, he shines.
Phil Keaggy's eponymously named album
won't thrill his "Crimson and Blue" or "Sunday's Child" fans,
and the fans of his more instrumental work might find this is not the Phil Keaggy
they know. A few cuts might grab them, like the opening pop rocker, "A Sing
Came Through A Window," which has that "Sunday's Child" beat to
it.
On
the whole, the album is a mix of neo-celtic tunes, pop and easy listening CCM
radio music. There are points at which I wonder if Charlie Peacock or Michael
Card were involved, thanks to the unusually solid lyrical stylings presented here.
The
title of "Beneath The Blood-Stained Lintel" alone draws poetic imagery.
It lyrics are well-sung, as he keeps tempo and rhythm with some difficult to articulate
phrasings. Keaggy finds the source of its lyrics in "The Continual Burnt
Offerings" by H.A. Ironside.
"Beneath
the blood stained lintel I with my children stand.
A messenger of evil Is passing
through the land.
There is no other refuge from the destroyer's face.
Beneath
the blood stained lintel shall be our hiding place."
"Tender
Love" comes off insipidly. His delivery and material lacks much to be excited
about. What sounds like what was to be a triumphant anthem results in yesterday's
pop sound. He repeats the chorus past its intrigue.
Worthy
of note is the quiet "Quite Suddenly," also from Ironside:
"Quite
suddenly, it may be in His house I bend my knee,
When a Kingly voice long hoped
for
Comes at last to summon me.
And the fellowship of earthlife
That
has seemed so passing sweet,
Proves nothing but the shadow of
Our meeting
round His feet."
I
fully recommend "Phil Keaggy" by Phil Keaggy.
Anthony
Trendl
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