Phil Wickham: Heaven and Earth

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 - 4:19 PM CST

It gets better the more I listen to it-and it's no wonder. Phil Wickham has been surrounded with music his whole life as his father, John, and brother, Evan, have made careers as musicians. Phil Wickham's newest album, Heaven and Earth, demonstrates his musical influences and provides a beautiful combination of stringed instruments and electronica.

Phil's voice and style resemble "Killers" with his open and wailing vibrato, combined with offbeat rhythms. This is especially evident in the intro of "Coming Alive." He manages to bump it up a bit more with lyrics that truly capture the beauty of our Creator. Phil isn't afraid to experiment with different instrumental styles, just as he has done in the past with his previous albums Cannons and Phil Wickham. Heaven and Earth, though, is more upbeat with faster songs and a peppier style, almost resembling the music of artist Jamiroquai.

He uses a subtle but determined background guitar to support the rest of the band. Phil's voice blends so perfectly with the music that at some points I couldn't tell if he was singing or not. Because the line between lyrics and music occasionally intermingled, the choruses behind some songs frustrated me when I really want to concentrate on the thoughtfulness of his words. At other times it seemed almost appropriate to mix voice and instruments into one.

Phil has successfully taken bits and pieces of other artists and combined them into his own unique style. He has the confidence level to exhibit his music with the talent and ability that only he is capable of producing.

Pros: Fast, fun style with a meaningful lyrics

Cons: Phil's words soften and muddy the clarity between his lyrics and music

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars