Name: Testify (2LP 180 Gram Vinyl)
Brand: Rhino
SKU: 93773758
Availability: OutOfStock

Testify (2LP 180 Gram Vinyl)

Rating

Album: Testify (2LP 180 Gram Vinyl)
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Wake Up Call (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Come With Me (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	Testify (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
	Disc 2
1)	Don't Get Me Started (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Swing Low (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	It's Not Too Late (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
	Disc 3
1)	This Love This Heart (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Driving Me Crazy (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	The Least You Can Do (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
	Disc 4
1)	Can't Stop Loving You (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Thru My Eyes (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	You Touch My Heart (2016 Remastered)	More Info...

Album: Testify (2LP 180 Gram Vinyl)
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Wake Up Call (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Come With Me (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	Testify (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
	Disc 2
1)	Don't Get Me Started (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Swing Low (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	It's Not Too Late (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
	Disc 3
1)	This Love This Heart (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Driving Me Crazy (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	The Least You Can Do (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
	Disc 4
1)	Can't Stop Loving You (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
2)	Thru My Eyes (2016 Remastered)	More Info...
3)	You Touch My Heart (2016 Remastered)	More Info...

Performer Notes

Personnel: Phil Collins (vocals, arranger, various instruments); Daryl Stuermer, Tim Pierce (guitar); Eric Nigler (Uilleann pipes); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards); Paul Bushnel (bass); Jame Sanger (programming).
Recorded between 2000 & 2002.
Phil Collins took a long time to deliver Testify, his first record since redemptive post-divorce album Dance into the Light. On that 1996 affair, he was open to all the possibilities that may arrive during this new act and, accordingly, the album felt expansive. He dabbled with new sounds, perhaps excessively so, but it helped mirror his newfound freedom. In contrast, Testify feels a bit hemmed in, the sound of a singer/songwriter marching through the drudgery of life. This isn't to say that Testify is underpinned with despair -- it certainly lacks the melancholy undertow of Both Sides, one of his moodiest and best records -- but rather it feels diligent, with Collins intent on hitting all of his preordained marks. He writes songs about love gained and lost, fatherhood, and society -- all the staples of his mature work after No Jacket Required -- but his musical world-view has shrunk. Instead of attempting new sounds, he excises his eccentricities right along with his trademark thunderous drums, so Testify winds up feeling stiff, sequenced, and safe. An adult contemporary album, in other words, one that's clearly patterned after his big hit "You'll Be in My Heart," his Oscar-winning original song from 1999's Tarzan. Testify sways gently to its interlocking drum loops, a record that relies on mood, not melody. Which isn't to say this album is devoid of melody -- it's there; it's just not hooky, which is a conscious decision. Collins made Testify as a mellow meditation on everyday life, never pushing his themes or his songs too hard, and while that can mean it's pleasurable enough as background music, it also means that the album can feel a little listless, as if he's not sure what he wants to say. Given this vague aimlessness, it's not entirely a surprise that Testify turned out to be his last studio album of original material (as of this writing in 2016). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (11/28/02, p.92) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...TESTIFY is full of laid-back, better-than-average adult contempo fare..."