If many modern music makers are out there looking to catch the next wave, following the current zeitgeist and creating the sound of the future, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still room to look to the past. Actually, even those who are beating a trail towards what comes next are inspired by and infused with what has gone before; the only difference between them and Phil is that he doesn’t hide it.
“Mind at Ease” could easily be a long lost track by the likes of Elton John or Billy Joel, especially from their respective 70’s heydays. Piano-driven but powered by a full-band sound, vibrant and upbeat, forged in a place where the mass appeal of pop blends with the attitude of rock, that sweet spot where cult music-makers spill into commerciality, it is a brilliant blend of then and now.
Retrospective, but still sounding as fresh and fierce as those artists did when they were breaking through. And perhaps I have made too much of this nostalgia vibe, as there is more here that is original and of the present, much more that is forward-facing and creatively progressive than there is of simply copying what has gone before.
That is the art of taking those inspirations and turning them into something that fits the moment and paves a way into the future. And if you can balance that freshness with a familiarity, if you can push the sonic envelope without trampling all over people’s comfort zones, so much the better.
If you are wondering how it is possible to do all of that, just give “Mind at Ease” a few more spins.
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