review of the new David Philips release by Red Rooster Radio (Holland):
Het is de tweede keer dat we dan van oorsprong Britse singer-songwriter David Philips in de recensie hebben. In 2011 bespraken we zijn album The Rooftop Recordings. Maar het is niet zo dat hij in de tussentijd heeft stilgezeten, want het album Get Along is het zesde album dat hij via het Nederlandse label Black and Tan Records uitbrengt. Philips is naast singer-songwriter ook sessie-gitarist en producer. Hij heeft zijn leven in Nottingham verruild heeft voor een verblijf in Barcelona. Verder is hij ook nog eens een verdienstelijk schilder/ tekenaar met een voorkeur voor het tekenen van vogels. Na een korte tour door Nederland en België tekende hij bij het Nederlandse label Black and Tan Records dat tot nu toe de albums voor hem uitbrengt. Inmiddels is dit dus inmiddels het zevende album van David Philips, dat al sinds mei in de rekken ligt. Ook nu is het album volkomen eigen werk. Van april 2017 tot april dit jaar heeft hij geschreven aan de teksten en de songs voor het nieuwe album en verzorgde hij zelf de opnames, de productie, mix en mastering en het art-work. Ook speelt hij alle instrumenten zelf. Werkelijk alles is van zijn hand en komt uit zijn eigen studio.Vergeleken met zijn eerdere albums is de stijl op dit album nu meer funky en jazzy, hoewel de folky songs samen met de blues ook niet ontbreken. Het album komt daardoor energieker over. Speciaal aan het album is dat er naast de 8 nummers drie demo nummers in een akoestische setting op het album voorkomen en dat er tevens een tweetal nummers zijn toegevoegd die op eerdere albums stonden, maar dan nu in een nieuw jasje zijn gestoken, te weten: Mountain To Climb 2018 en When I’m Drunk 2018. Met dit album laat David Philips nogmaals blijken een veelzijdig en talentvol muzikant te zijn. De productie, mix en mastering zijn mooi en helder, zijn teksten vol gevoel en getemperde emotie en last-but-not-least is zijn art-work ook iets om in de gaten te houden. De liefhebber zal zeker heel blij met dit album zijn.
As singer-songwriters go, the thing that makes David Philips stand out whether he’s making an acoustic-based bare-bones record or a more fully produced affair is that he’s got a lot of soul. It’s there in his voice and present in his melodies. Just as 2017’s Winter titled toward his rock side, Get Along, his latest from Black And Tan Records, makes that soul more overt. Philips has never been afraid to put out his rougher recordings, he embraces it and it’s really to our benefit because there’s nothing to hide and nothing critical is missing from the demos. This time — and he’s done this with a song actually called “This Time” — he’s putting his rough-hewn product side-by-side with his (relatively) polished handiwork, which in either case all the chores are handled by him, and it’s hard to tell which version is better. The demo version of “My Gravity” is full of funky spirit with Philips accompanied himself only with an acoustic guitar. That was placed immediately following the fully developed version of the same song, which has its own charms but the raw version remains just as satisfying. The blues “Nowhere” (video below) is also paired with its demo version but it’s the stripped down take that’s more energetic and played in a higher key, altered to the point that you could be forgiven for thinking it’s an entirely different song. Philips uncorks some nasty blues harp in the middle of it, too; there might not be much musically he can’t do like a boss. Folk-soul, head-nodding, finger tapping rhythm and blues in an down-home wrapper is what make full band tracks such as “Another Day,” “Trim” and remakes of his own tunes “Mountain To Climb” and “When I’m Drunk” so irresistible. As a bonus, Philips’ jazz background makes a rare overt appearance on the instrumental fusion-ish number “Red On Yellow.” One thing that isn’t rare at all about a Philips record is that it’s all done by himself, from the composing to the playing and singing, to the production, engineering and mastering. But DIY isn’t for everybody, only for those who can do it all and do it all right. Philips is clearly that guy, and now we know that even when he does something by himself two different ways, both ways are the ‘right’ way. Get Along is available now digitally and available in CD form in September 2018 for those who also want more of Philips’ avian art to enjoy.
When surveying his history and discography it’s quite clear that David Philips is diversely talented enough to make whatever the hell kind of music he wants to make without any outside help, and make it well. So when this British expat who now call Barcelona, Spain his home locked himself up in a studio last winter to make a more-or-less straightforward rock album, it was going to be interesting to see if this singer-songwriter mostly known for stripped down folk hymns could maintain that notion. Winter, now out from Black and Tan Records, does. It’s a fully produced album, but perhaps ‘fully produced’ only by the standards of roots rock. Philips plays all the instruments, as he always does, but there’s more to play: guitars, bass, drums, lead and background vocals. He puts it all together in a mix that resembles a real band, and wrote eight new tunes that have hooks and riffs, leaving just enough space to let his lead guitarist side flourish. The furry analog blare of “Changes” is immediately inviting to ears attuned to seventies classic rock and the grit quickly dismisses any idea that Philips would go commercial. The soul-infused blues-rock “Mary” is a dead ringer for a Doyle Bramhall II cut, and an occasion for Philips to show what he’s got in the hot licks department. He takes a three-chord riff far on “Rich Man” and goes rural with harmonica and acoustic guitar on the eminently catchy “Home.” And then he shows off Hendrix chops with a dash of Bad Company and Stevie Ray Vaughan thrown in on “The One” (video above) as well as on “Running,” while “Your Way” downshifts to a lilting ballad tempo. The album closer “That’s Alright” seems bound to be all about a heavy guitar riff before unexpectedly encountering a soulful psychedelic interlude laced with ace blues chops. Clocking in at a lean half an hour, Winter concludes maybe a little sooner than we’d like, but that running time was par for course in the vinyl age, and it’s much better to have that old feeling even if it means revisiting one of its small limitations. At least I didn’t have to get up to flip the record over in the middle of it. David Philips has again made music without making any concessions.
