Phillips, Craig & Dean

In the same way that an avocado refrigerator can make a kitchen feel dated, song arrangements can make an album feel dated, forcing artists to strike a balance between their musical identity and current trends. With eighteen hit singles since the early ’90’s, Phillips, Craig & Dean are best known for mellow songs fortified with braided harmonies. Under strong direction from producer Bernie Herms, Fearless marks the group’s attempt to venture out of the safe waters of harmony into “edgier praise and worship territory,” resulting in a project that’s either interesting or disappointing, depending on how you feel about their trademark sound.

There’s symmetry in both theme and execution of Fearless, which takes musical risks while delivering a message of living boldly in an uncertain world, secure in the certainty of God’s plan. Sometimes the musical risks pay off, and sometimes not. The promotional materials use words like “sonic” and “U2-like guitars” and “Coldplay cool,” so it’s a question of whether you want to hear the guy who helped deliver vocal goosebumps on “Favorite Song of All” and “Crucified with Christ,” let loose a “convincing James Brown scream atop the funky rock arrangement” of “Let God Be God.” If that concept intrigues you, you’ll like Fearless more than someone who’d just as soon hear Darlene Zschech sing hip-hop.

The modern approach works well on “Spirit of God is Here,” by (Randy) Phillips and Paul Baloche. The nakedness of a solo lead with percussive heartbeat provides a nice springboard to the layered chorus, and the guitar work is sparse, unashamed, and relevant. If you remember the “oh ohs” on The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” there’s a bit of that sideline vocal flavor on both “Spirit of God is Here” and “Counting on God.”

The group provides solid covers of both Hillsong United’s “From the Inside Out” and Gateway Church’s “Revelation Song,” released as a P, C & D single. “Revelation Song” is refreshingly different, with guitars and male vocals usurping piano and Kari Jobe’s siren sound of the original. Both covers build to their trademark, three-stranded pinnacle on the choruses: “Holy holy is the Lord God Almighty/ Who was and is and is to come” (“Revelation Song.”) “Everlasting, Your love will shine when all else fades” (“From the Inside Out.”)

All three men are strong songwriters, capable of breathtakingly original compositions, so it is somewhat disappointing that two of the three best songs are covers. “Great Are You Lord,” and “Name Above All Names” provide nice praise material, but do not approach the timeless brilliance of “In Christ Alone” (my hope is found), co-written by (Shawn) Craig.

this album’s ambivalent mix of success and failure is best summed up in “Let God Be God,“ (of the infamous ‘James Brown scream.’) The verse sounds like the theme song from some detective show in the 1980’s, with a touch of country honky-tonk, and yet there’s something utterly appealing about the lyrics. “Well, the sun comes up and the sun goes down/ God doesn’t seem to need my help/ The One who holds the sea in place is watching out for every step I take” (“Let God Be God.”) It’s like olives in pizza ice cream – the song sort of works at times, but there’s something strangely unsettling about hearing it done by the men who sing “Shine On Us” and “You Are God Alone.”

It’s admirable when a group steps outside the box, and listeners who find the traditional Phillips, Craig & Dean harmonies a bit tame might like Fearless. However, looking over their long string of hits, savoring the richness of their interpretations, one wonders why anyone should think they need to sound like Coldplay or U2 or anyone else. Phillips, Craig & Dean aren’t avocado; when they perform inspirational hits that show off their blended voices, this group is classic white, and that never goes out of style.

Tagged as: Fearless, Phillips Craig and Dean

↓ One comment

#1 Pastor Will Shore on January 21st, 2010 at 10:57 pm

I think the point of the title may be lost to some. It is about stepping out of our comfort zones and daring to venture into arenas that are unfamiliar. That is exactly what PCD does with their new album “Fearless”. Because they do so with a greater degree of success than failure with this album I applaud their boldness. To diminish their efforts because they have connected with “cover” songs is nothing more than sour grapes. While the secular world may frown upon groups that use cover songs I believe it is viewed much differently with Christians. We tend to take a point of view that every Christian song that touches the soul is divinely inspired and is the rightful property of God. It is not a “cover” song but a gift from above. Success is measured by the number of lives that are touched and not about how many albums are sold. I am grateful to PCD for showing us that when serving the Lord we need to be “Fearless”. Although “Revelation Song” and “From the Inside Out” are sure to stir the hearts, “Spirit of God is Here” had me visualizing my congregation getting absolutely excited about being in the presence of God.

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