Category: Album

Fans Review Phillip Phillips’ Collateral

If there’s one true fact about Phillip Phillips fans is that they are beautifully diverse: with a wide and eclectic musical taste, they come from many parts of the world and can be found among all age demographics and backgrounds. They are also true music lovers and passionate fans who have supported Phillip since the start, attending hundreds of concerts in the span of six years and welcoming all the musical exploration and risks Phillip has taken since the day he stepped in front of those judges on Idol. For the fans, the wait for Collateral was almost unbearable, but by all accounts and indications absolutely worth it. To celebrate this momentous release, we decided to ask the fans to review the album, one song at the time. We knew we would get some great responses, and we were not disappointed. From the haunting “Sand Castles” to the delicate “Part of My Plan,” to the full-on 90s rock “My Name,” fans are in love with Collateral and its magnificent depth and versatility. Some reviews were short, some funny and to the point, and some very moving. Almost everybody also told us how hard it was to pick just one song to write about. Here’s a review of Phillip Phillips’ Collateral by the fans.

1. Magnetic

“This song has such a good vibe to it. I love how the transition goes from slow that gets a bit faster. It is amazing. I also like hearing Phillip Phillips’ soft high pitch voice but, when really getting the emotions out, he uses his normal rough voice which brings so much more feeling out. The band really helps with this as well.” David

“Well…This, I can’t stop playing.” Unsigned

2. Part of My Plan

“Such an amazing melody! And the simple arrangement with which it starts, [with] Phillip’s gorgeous voice on the forefront. Then the harmony comes in and it gets even more beautiful! And it begins to soar… “keep on running home”…what a lovely sentiment. A very unique song, simple and elegant. Love it!” Elvan

“Part of My Plan” seems to be such an introspective piece. The lyrics describe finding strength amid fear and uncertainty. And, despite the introspection, they reach out to another when it would be so easy to continue the inward focus. They continue to an almost celebratory level of the music follows the direction of the lyrics (or vice versa?) in its delivery and intensity. The combination of lyrics and music weaves a whole fabric throughout the song, leaving the listener with a feeling of following the artist on a journey – from loneliness to the internalization of a need for another and a resulting self-fulfilling commitment to that person. Norma

“I believe this is a beautiful song about everything he’s been through in his life over the past four years. His true fans know this. It’s about Hannah, Izzy and being on the road. About knowing that being home with loved ones is the true meaning of happiness! ‘Gonna keep on running home…’ Masterful!” Unsigned

“Because I really understand what’s he talking about and I just feel it. It made me feel I mustn’t give up, here is that life after darkness… I feel the pressure of being alone in this song but I also [of] learning how to go in through it.” Mehrsa

3. My Name

“‘My Name’ is my favorite because it’s one of those songs that as soon as it comes on you want to crank it to the max and rock out while headbanging and playing your best air guitar. It’s one of those tunes that you can close your eyes and envision yourself front row at one of Phillip’s show singing along to every word as loudly as you can.” Tiffany

“It has an amazing vibe to it. You can feel Phillip jamming out without having to see him! I can’t wait to hear it live in Milwaukee and Chicago!” Susan

“It’s a Jam! It’s a fun song to sing along to and I can’t wait to hear Phillip sing it live. I know I’m gonna lose my voice when that happens.” Tyler

“A great rocker that gets your body movin’.” Jim

4. I Dare You

“The lyrics are honest, the guitar is classic rock sexy, and the playout is so gentle and beautiful. Love its contrasting sounds and moods, and its build as it moves along – multifaceted tune!” Paula

My grandfather passed this summer. This song reminds me of the songs we used to listen to in his kitchen. When I listen, it brings me back to the days him and I would dance in circles round and round while I stood on his feet. I miss him dearly. Great New album PP! Nicole

5. Sand Castles

“‘It’s hard enough to heal the pain,’ and pain it’s what Phillip sings in this song. He touches my broken heart.” Carlos

“‘Sand Castles’ is one of the most gorgeous songs I have ever heard. It has so many beautiful layers to it. Phillip’s crooning and chanting adds to the already deep and haunting feel of the song. The writing is brilliant, and the lyrics are some of his best yet.” Sylvia

When I was 15 and my sister was 9 we took the bus to see The Beatles. What we experienced for the next 6 years shaped who we are today. We saw, especially John Lennon, not a musician but an extraordinary being we could never explain. A peace activist who mobilized people to spread his message using the media. Then we lost him and the world went dark. On seeing Phillip on Idol the first time, it was when he sang “Volcano.” I got those same vibes as I experienced with the Beatles. Listening to “Sand Castles,” much like “Tell Me A Story” or “Creatures,” makes me realize he’s no ordinary musician but a much higher entity. He takes us on a journey we can’t quite understand with this song. It is so overpowering it just sends chills. Rosemarie

“Can’t get it out of my head. […]It speaks to me like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.” Connie

“It’s hauntingly beautiful with a dramatic build up to what I thought was going to be an abrupt ending, but, was given just a touch more before it softly faded away to the end. It took me on a journey that left me wanting more! The instrumentation at the end was beautiful! Love it!” Shelley

6. Don’t Tell Me

I think it’s one of the sexiest, most honest songs on the album. The song hits different emotions from lust, to remorse to just pure sassiness. Jen

“‘Don’t Tell Me’ is a playful rock stomp that opens with a funk jam similar to Phillip’s song intros at his live shows. Reminiscent of “Drive Me” from his debut The World From The Side Of The Moon, but more complex with a really cool bridge. Conjures feelings of being out with drinking buddies downing buckets of beer at a crowded local bar.” Kenny

7. Miles

“Just absolutely love this song. The lyrics play over and over in my head. I find myself humming and singing it after I hear it. Makes me smile!!” Unsigned

“Miles will always be my favorite because it speaks to me in a way! This song inspires me as I am too a songwriter myself. I actually first heard this song when Phillip was on tour with A Great Big World and Matt Nathanson in 2016! He played this song at the Pittsburgh concert I went too and I immediately fell in love with it! I actually knew all the lyrics to the chorus after he sang the chorus just once! Sierra

This is what you call love at first listen. We got to know this song before it was part of Collateral, first live and then as the first single from the album. I love everything about this song: the longing that just pours through the lyrics, the vulnerability in Phillips’ voice, and that sweet, amazing bridge (“Won’t you look at us…”). Listening to “Miles” within the album is equally powerful; it’s an irreplaceable piece of the perfect puzzle (in form, not content) that is Collateral. Andreina

8. Dance With Me

“This song is so beautiful. You can hear how much love he has for his wife. I absolutely love how Phillip ends the song, when the vocals are done and the music continues on. I feel it is Phillips’ way of dancing one more time with her. Love Love Love this song!” Dawn

Our only child, our daughter, passed suddenly in her sleep 12 weeks ago. She and I used to slow dance in the grocery store when she was young when a song we loved came over the speakers in the store. We just want to hold her one more time, dance with her one more time, hug and kiss her one more time. Dawn Bruce

9. Love Junkie

“Smoldering rock tune really bringing the heat. Think Lenny Kravitz with a swampy, sticky heat instead of LA glitz.” Kenny

“It’s hard to pick a favorite and it seems to change pretty quickly. This album has my emotions all over the place. Up and down and all around, Phillip takes me on a wild ride with Collateral. I can’t stop listening to it. “Love Junkie,” “My Name,” “What Will Become Of Us…” so many are my favorites!” Jasmine

10. Her Mystery

“’She’s a stone cut by the maker’s hands’ …What a beautiful deep lyric! I feel like this is a song about a wife, a mother or even someone passed. A woman who is very strong and has always been there for him. However, even though he doesn’t know or understand all her secrets, he still loves her deeply! “He will never reach Her Mystery” …. and that’s OK. Unsigned

11. What Will Become of Us

“This song is so relatable to so many things not only in personal life but our world today. It’s so simple, stripped down, and emotional. I wouldn’t be shocked if a movie or TV show used this song and it shot to the top of the charts.” Charlie

Picking a favorite Phillip Phillips song is rather like picking a favorite moment of a sunrise. Each are unique, beautiful, and move fluidly from one to the next. The entire does not detract from previous, and only heightens anticipation for future ones. I pick “What Will Become of Us” as the most intense moment/song, showcasing Phillip’s maturing emotional expressions, nuanced singing, songwriting, and collaboration with other artists. Take a moment and truly listen to this song. It will tug at the heart and threaten the most stoic with misty eyes. Unsigned

“This song speaks volumes to me as someone I love is going and it made me cry, no lies…The way he plays with his voice is so touching and thrilling.” Unsigned

“Trying to pick a favorite song from Collateral is like trying to choose your favorite child. Fortunately, I only had one child! I chose “What Will Become of Us” because it is the first song in all the songs that Phillip has recorded that brings me to my knees and makes me weep from the first note. However, every song is magnificent! Well worth the wait!” Cheryl

12. Into The Wild

“This song makes me emotional for some reason, even though it’s an upbeat song. It’s so pretty and I love what it’s about. If you’re in love with someone, you can relate so much and I love that.” Unsigned

“This song speaks to me about being young, alive and full of energy and so in love with your soulmate that nothing will separate you from each other.” Dawn

Buy Collateral, it’s out now!
Visit Phillip’s official site for tickets for his upcoming Magnetic Tour.
Featured Photo: Jesse DeFlorio.

Phillip Phillips’ New Album Collateral Is Finally Out

Just before midnight on January 19, Phillip Phillips’ new album Collateral was finally released. The celebration from fans across social media has been non-stop, and as of this writing the album is sitting at #12 on the iTunes overall album charts. Phillip shared a beautiful message with fans just before the album dropped reflecting on the struggles and triumphs of the last few years:

“Gonna rest peacefully tonight. I did what was right. Good things happen if you work hard at what you believe in. There are going to be struggles. Fight. Get up & live YOUR life. Listen to it. Feel it. Go with your gut. Thank you for the support & staying with me. Now let’s go!”

And again this morning, Phillip shared a very special video talking about what the release of this album means to him.

Phillip wasted no time to get things going promoting the album, performing “Dance With Me” and “Into The Wild” from Collateral on Fox News early Friday. Errol Cooney, guitar player extraordinaire and a constant musical companion to Phillips in the early years, made a surprise appearance alongside Phillip. Take a look at Phillip and Errol performing “Into The Wild” below!

Don’t wait one more minute to get it, Collateral is available everywhere!

Featured Photo: Jesse DeFlorio

One Week to the Release of Collateral, Phillip Phillips Gives Us Into The Wild

Are you ready? Really ready?
Phillip Phillips has released “Into the Wild,” the closing song from Collateral ahead of the album’s full release next week on January 19.

By far our favourite of the four songs Phillip has released officially, “Into the Wild” is a rousing love song featuring an opening electric guitar that morphs into the most uplifting riff, deep booming drums, and soaring vocals by Phillip. The lyrics evoke a love that is exciting and mysterious, the kind that causes delicious butterflies in your stomach with its promise of adventure, and maybe a little danger. Listening, I was immediately reminded of that feeling you get when you walk into nature that overtakes you with its grandiose, awesome scale — wild, untameable, sublimely beautiful. Its anthemic chorus (and bridge?) is to be sung out loud, hands stretched high into a summer night sky by an ecstatic audience. I predict many such moments in Phillip’s future tours.

I did not think it was possible for us to love a song more than “Miles,” but this is Phillip Phillips in 2018, outdoing himself with each new bit of music he shares with us. And though it feels completely new, we already had had a taste of this song when Phillip debuted it in July 2016 at the Ravinia Festival. The recording on the album achieves something wonderful which is to make the song sound quite open and spacious, and not overly sweet despite having such a feel-good, uplifting melody.

The wait has been long, but it’s just one more week until we get eight more brand new songs from Phillip. We will be “Into the Wild” until then.

***
If you haven’t yet done so, visit Phillip Phillips’ official site to pre-order Collateral. You can also click here to pre-order or stream Collateral from other digital retailers.
Finally, don’t wait any longer, click here to get tickets to his upcoming Magnetic Tour!

Phillip Phillips Releases New Single Dance With Me

“Dance With Me” is the third single from Phillip Phillips’ upcoming album Collateral. Phillip wrote “Dance With Me” for his wife Hannah for their first dance during their wedding in 2015. As such, it’s perhaps one of the most personal and intimate songs Phillip has released. Since it was used at their wedding, Phillip has performed the song during tour, usually by himself or accompanied by Dave Eggar on cello.

The recording keeps this understated arrangement, with a small string introduction and then piano, drums, strings, bass and guitar throughout. It is a beautiful ballad, a declaration of deep, unconditional love. Before they wed, Phillip and Hannah had been together for several years. The lyrics are a testament to this; they feel steady and mature, marked by life and experience. I think “Dance With Me” feels like a classic already.

Listen to “Dance With Me” below. And click here to pre-order Collateral, out on January 19.

Meeting Phillip Phillips – A Lesson in Selfless Grace

Special post by Andreina Romero, writer for PhillPhillcom.

Last summer, after five years of following his music and career, I finally met Phillip Phillips. The meeting was set up by his tour manager, and took place during a meet and greet session after a show. Phillip’s generosity with his fans is well-known, and during the very early years it was common for him to come out and informally meet fans by his tour bus to take photos and talk. Last year, Phillip and his team started to build the meet and greet experience into most of his shows, which finally gave me the chance to meet him.

Since joining PhillPhillcom in 2013, I have written thousands of words about his albums and concerts. However, no matter how much I have written about and analyzed his music, I still think constantly about what it is about Phillip that makes me and so many fans be deeply invested in his music and career. He is not only immensely talented and gifted with an innate beauty and star quality, he also has an honest and down-to-earth personality that I think people just gravitate to. Even more interesting for me is that despite that enormous talent, there still a sense of depths unexplored, that we have seen and will continue to see the evolution of Phillip as musician and songwriter as he works his way to becoming his full artistic self.

Another big part of the equation of my admiration of Phillip is the thrill of his live performances, which is where his musical ambitions can be seen even more clearly. Known in the mainstream music world for his chart-topping songs like “Home” and “Gone Gone Gone,” Phillip has never been afraid to show to everybody, specially those who may only know the hits, the wide-raging extent of his musical ability. He exudes, and I think, cultivates, this pure enjoyment and excitement of the act of making music itself, the creative high of sharing the stage with top musicians, of exploring songs’ possibilities, of mastering your instrument. I derive huge pleasure from seeing and hearing this, and I am not the only one. Phillip’s shows have become legendary among his fans, many of whom travel hundreds of miles from every corner of the US, and sometimes other countries, to see him play. Attending multiple shows is not uncommon, with some dedicated fans counting shows they’ve attended by the dozens in just 6 short years. 

This was all in my mind when I was about to meet Phillip. The fact that I could, however briefly, have a conversation about music with him was just not exciting, it was a real life dream. Back in 2014, through this site, Pam and I were able to interview his close collaborator and friend Dave Eggar. Dave was unbelievably generous, funny and kind and gave us a great interview. The fact that we had asked questions to this musician we admired so much and had had a conversation of sorts about art and music, overwhelmed me. Tears literally jumped from my eyes as I edited that interview. I knew then and there how realizing a dream feels like, which is just amazing, and addictive. The key to my dream was achieving that conversation, engaging in that exchange of ideas, that intellectual and human connection. I knew that just to have that with Phillip, even for a few minutes, would have been enough for me.

That night, after exchanging the usual hellos, small talk and taking a photo together, Phillip casually asked me if I had my headphones with me as he wanted to show me something. I did a mental check of my bag and realized with horror that no, I did not. While I lamented this, my husband, my eternal savior, said, “oh let me check, I may have mine with me.” He then proceeded to search on his camera bag, pulling ticket stubs, one of our son’s toys, and finally, the long, black cord of his headphones. We handed the headphones to Phillip, who then plugged them into his phone and asked me if he could play me a song.

***

And just like that I found myself backstage, sitting across Phillip listening to one of his new songs directly from his phone. He apologized a few times saying that it was not the final mix, as if that would in any way diminish the magnitude of the gift he was giving me. He played the song and I listened, trying to concentrate in absorbing every detail of this music I had never heard before but which moved me immediately. I closed my eyes while my son, 6 at the time, came to sit with me holding his newly bought stuffed tiger. All the while Phillip sat there, quietly sipping a glass of wine. The song played out until the end. I would not have found the words to describe it if I had been asked to; it was just too beautiful.

I thanked him profusely and gave him a wedding present for him and his wife Hannah. His tour manager, who had also kindly stayed there and talked to my husband the whole time of the meeting, gave Phillip a little sign to wrap it up. We were the last, and so were they. After what must have been a long tour day, they had stayed and shared with us for several minutes, much more than the normal meet and greet encounter.

It’s been over a year and I have struggled to find a way tell this story, going back and forth between wanting to share it and feeling as though I could never convey how special this was and how thankful I am. I have thought, often, about that song, specially every time Phillip debuted a new one on tour, only to see, with some selfish relief, that nobody else had heard it yet. Phillip’s album, initially scheduled for a late fall 2016 release, was delayed throughout 2017, which also lead me to fear that the song may not even make it to the album, remaining forever the song that I heard but that no other fans grew to know, love and cherish.

However, it is November 2017, and Phillip has finally been able to finish and move forward with the release of his new album. The song, along with some of the ones Phillip has shared with us already, will finally see the light of day. Fans all over the world will download it, listen to it, and suffuse it with their own meaning. Despite all my efforts, my memory of the song has faded. What remains is an impression, a sense of mood and feeling. I am hopeful and afraid of listening to it again — it may never sound as good as it did that night, not because of the song, but because of the circumstances in which I first listened to it, of course.

In the end, the meeting was much more that I could ever had hoped for — to share a piece of unfinished work must make any artist feel incredibly vulnerable. Yet Phillip, in an extremely kind and thoughtful gesture, presented me with that song that night. All these months later, my heart still swells with happiness at the memory. How can I ever repay or honour such a gift? It is very simple, I can’t. And this is because artists, beyond the concrete work that they do, give us gifts that are intangible, hard to quantify and to measure, impossible to return. That night with that song and that wonderful gesture, Phillip also gave me a lesson in selfless grace.

Phillip Phillips’ new album Collateral will be released January 19, 2018. Visit PhillipPhillips.com to pre-order it and see details about his upcoming Magnetic Tour.