Review: Phillip Phillips – Behind The Light

Phillip Phillips is back with his sophomore album Behind The Light. With his debut album The World From The Side Of The Moon and the hit single ‘Home’, the platinum-selling artist has not only become one of the most successful American Idol winners but has also produced one of the biggest-selling songs of 2012. Phillips has not rested there and got together with producer Gregg Wattenberg and Dereck Fuhrmann to work on Behind The Light. His second album is a mix of mid-tempo tunes and slower songs of cheerful and encouraging spirit. Heavy on acoustic guitars, each song has something special about it and some tracks surprise with very powerful harmonies. The 23-year-old singer, who wrote or co-wrote all songs on the album, has created a more mature, honest and down to earth record. Behind The Light has strong and catchy songs but sounds too generic at times. Nevertheless Phillips has crafted 15 beautiful songs with a very personal touch.

Phillip Phillips’ raspy voice, powerful lyrics and a catchy melody make ‘Searchlight’ a strong album opener. The single ‘Raging Fire’ is about the power of love and features a strong sound with bold drums, rhythmic guitar and strings. ‘Trigger’ is a real highlight and convinces with its energetic and dark feel, a song with anthem-like potential. ‘Fool For You’ touches with its genuine folk rock sound. Probably one of the most surprising songs on the album is ‘Fly’, which starts off very playful but soon evolves into an intense rock tune that really comes alive through its heavy guitar solo at the end. ‘Midnight Sun’ makes use of well-placed folk elements and string arrangements to create a feel-good vibe that makes the listener feel at ease with the music. With Behind The Light, Phillip Phillips has crafted a reliable record with songs that got the power to lift your mood.

 
Written by Miriam Kundt

As a music and art lover, Miriam Kundt likes to travel the world and to embrace diversity, culture and life. Originally from Germany, she has collected colorful experiences by living and working in the UK, Finland and the Netherlands.

 
Author’s rating for Behind The Light

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Behind The Light

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure