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Phil Keaggy - What A Day / Love Broke Thru Audio CD

A fair review of the Phil Keaggy "What A Day / Love Broke Thru" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Phil Keaggy reviews here, or go back to the Phil Keaggy tabs.

Phil Keaggy Band: Phil Keaggy
Title: What A Day / Love Broke Thru
Rating:
Release Date:
Media: Audio CD

Tracks:

Early beginnings
Great memorable songs and great lyrics, and artistry at its best. In brief, this is Keaggy during his humble beginnings. .


Love Broke Thru - possibly the finest Christian album ever


OK - track review - the album opens with Phil's cover version of the title track written by Keith Green, Randy Stonehill and Todd Fishkind (whatever happened to HIM?!?!) - one of the finest string arrangements ever, coupled with heartfelt vocals that Phil very much makes his own. I concur entirely with the other reviewer's opinions on What A Day - but a review of Love Broke Thru is also required!

My review title is no exaggeration - for a breathtaking combination of strong melodies, lush string arrangements, excellent performances, amazing variety of styles and inspiring and worshipful lyrics, I really think the only challenger to this is Larry Norman's Only Visiting This Planet. Take Me Closer is a mid-tempo AOR number with tight harmonies and great playing all round, esp by Michael Omartian on his Aarpvark (ho ho) synth solo, which Phil played live on his Gibson. As The Ruin Falls is a profound C S Lewis poem set to a beautiful arrangement of flute, strings and acoustic guitar. Unique. White Horse is another mid-tempo rocker, with wonderful piano, lead guitar and strings in the fadeout. Disappointment is another poem set to music with wonderfully inspiring words, sung tenderly by Phil, whose voice was possibly at its peak at this stage in his career. Side 2 (for vinyl lovers) opens with a great rock/blues number, Time, which presaged the feel on many tracks on his next album, Emerging. This lengthy track showcases Phil's lead guitar skills better than any other on the album. By marked musical contrast, the next track is another poem, Portrait, set to gentle acoustic guitar and another beautiful string arrangement. Back to rock next with Just The Same, which is possibly the "least brilliant" track on the album - there are NO weak tracks! Then one of the best on the album, a childlike ballad, Things I Will Do, based on two of my fave OT verses - Is 42:16 and 43:19. I think that the final track, Abraham, written by Annie Herring's husband Buck, is probably the finest on the album - spinetingling strings and a superb vocal performance from Phil. Also great piano from Bread's pianist, Larry Knechtel, who memorably played on Bridge Over Troubled Water.

These timeless albums should be in every music-loving Christian's collection - they don't make them like this any more!.


One of the Finest Ever
" The album was recorded in 1973 and was self-produced (it cost only $1800 to record). This review is for "What a Day. "Love Broke Thru" was recorded in 1976 and reflects more professional and polished production values. Nonetheless, the first of Phil Keaggy's solo efforts is also one of his finest and should be considered one of the top rate Christian albums ever made. The album is largely acoustic with richly layered melodies and subtle electric guitars complementing the acoustic wonders. It is really Keaggy's fingerwork at its best.

The lyrics are simple, but not amateurish. In fact, they are fresh no matter how often you listen. There is a profundity to their simplicity that makes the album so timeless. Keaggy obviously reflected on many of Jesus' most profound words and adapted them to songs that are as worshipful as anything I have ever heard in the modern worship craze. What adds remarkably to the worshipful tone of the album is the masterful melodic vocalizations, crooning and occassional falsetto voice overlays that interact beautifully with the lyrical flow and instrumentation. They together form a rich tapestry of praise, particualrly as the album moves toward the end, climaxing in the song "Hallelujah. " The last 5 songs are absolutely magical.

Very rarely do you listen to an album in which the performer seems to be so fully absorbed in what he is performing that it exudes an effortlessness on his part. The sense of joy, peace and tranquillity expressed in this album is mesmerizing. I do not mean that in a crass way. But the album is simply angelic in its effect as if you are being led to the throne room of God. It obviously reflects a young believer who is enraptured with His Lord and Savior and could not hold back his excitement over it. It simply had to be expressed. Words are difficult for indicating the effect it has had on me over many hundreds of listenings since the first time I heard it some 25 years ago. And again, I say it is fresh each time.


You can see a complete list of all Phil Keaggy discography, or go back to the Phil Keaggy tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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