Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill ~ Mystery Highway (album review) ... Elvis & the Bible!

Style: classic rock, Christian
Label: Odd Body Music
Year: 2009
Home: Ohio & California

Members: Phil Keaggy ~ guitar/lead vocals/bass/mandolin/percussion
Randy Stonehill ~ lead vocals/acoustic guitar
John Sferra, Robert Gibbs ~ drums
Leo Lyons ~ bass
Mike Pachelli ~ b. vocals


Christian guitar guru Phil Keaggy has an uncanny knack to sound more like the Beatles than any of the Beatles have since they split. George Harrison wanted to make this type of music - raw, upbeat, melodic & unquestionably religious but he was only able to do so a few times before the audience turned against him ... Phil Keaggy has been lucky enough to make a long career out of it. With famed Christian singer Randy Stonehill by his side, they groove on basic 60's-esque arrangements in an album that's an informal musical sequel to Keaggy's outstanding Sunday's Child, which deliberately aimed for sounding like the Beatles, even using Ringo's drumkit. The fact that the title track "Sunday's Child" reappears here with a new arrangement & the fact that Stonehill guested on Sunday's Child only proves the sneaking suspicion that this is in many ways a sequel to that successful outing. If you liked Sunday's Child there's no way you won't enjoy Mystery Highway, maybe even a bit more as Stonehill is a much stronger & forthright singer than the soft spoken Keaggy. Every song is catchy, pop-infected & nostalgically Americana. In a hard rock forum as this is this might seem an odd inclusion, but decades ago in another musical world this style was hard rock music & without it we wouldn't have what we do today. Though, in such a forum as this one almost don't want to like this album knowing that it doesn't have anything but happy songs & no headbanging guitar solos ... it even has a song about Elvis & the Bible ("Rockin' In A Hard Place") ... but it's so upbeat 50's/early 60's-ish, but you can't help but enjoy it while being transported to the first time you heard Volunteers by the Jefferson Airplane. Let alone, sometimes it's nice to take a break from the normal, let alone turn back the clock. Keaggy & Stonehill undoubtedly know this. If you at all like either Keaggy or Stonehill this is a must own release. If you collect Christian rock this is also a must addition. This might also act as a good introduction to both artists, albeit, it's probably one of the best albums either of them have done. As for the Christian message for the non-Christian readers? You'll probably find a deeper Christian message on a Soundgarden album, believe it or not.

Phil Keaggy ~ Phil Keaggy & Sunday's Child (album review) ... When the Beatles met God!

Style: christian, retro, folk-rock
Label: Myrrh Records
Year: 1988
Home: n/a

Members: Phil Keaggy ~ lead vocals/guitars/bass
Rick Cua ~ bass
Mike Mead ~ drums
Lynn Nichols ~ b. vocals/guitars

Additional: Lenny Castro ~ percussion
Robbie Buchanan ~ Hammond B-3
Rudy Valentine, Jimmy Lee Sloas ~ b. vocals

Guests: Mark Heard ~ guitars/keyboards/b. vocals
Steve Taylor ~ percussion
Randy Stonehill, Alwyn Wall, Derri Daugherty, Russ Taff ~ b. vocals
James Hollihan ~ guitars

Phil Keaggy is probably one of the most recognized names and guitarists in Christian music, having been performing since the 60's when his first band was opening for prog-rock legends Yes. Albeit, as a guitarist his albums are not stuffed full of expected guitar solos but rely more often on the folk or Neil Diamond approach of interesting melodic arrangements where solos are almost trivial. Keaggy has always had more than a hint of the Beatles in his happy sounding upbeat arrangements, but on Sunday's Child the evolution is complete. This is the legendary lost Beatles album (that you never knew was lost until now)! And, it's quit deliberate ... as Ringo's own drum set was borrowed & only vintage guitars & amps. But, it takes more than equipment to recreate a sound. A few songs are a bit too modern sounding, while a few others are filler, but on the whole this is the Beatles reincarnate. Even the Beatles had filler & they definitely were too modern sounding at times. There's a few rockers (i.e. "I'm Gonna Get You Now" & "I Always Do") but the Beatles approach of melodic little mini-stories shines through with bare bones solos akin to Harrison & Lennon. Keaggy has never changed his musical style to suit the decades & many of his albums have often fall into the world of lightweight overly sentimental pop tunes, though always well-received if for nothing else but their predictably. Sunday's Child breaks the predictability making this the best album for rockers who want to check him out. But, Keaggy is quit prolific, often releasing multiple albums a year, so there's no lack of potential starting points. This further features an all star guest list, including compositional co-credits, of Christian music icons including Randy Stones, Mark Heard and Steve Taylor.