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Former American Idol Top 5 Contestant Phil Stacey is preparing to release his sophomore album this coming August. While Phil might not have won Idol, that certainly hasn’t slowed him down one bit. His first album, the self-titled Phil Stacey, released by Disney’s Lyric Street, peaked at No. 28 on Billboard’s country chart. Now signed with Reunion Records, he is releasing his debut Christian album August 25th, titled Into The Light.
The album starts off strong with the song Inside Out, which deals with a personal commitment to being changed completely, and that only God has to power to save and change us. Slowing down a bit, the track It’s Gotta Be Love reflects on the fact that the only thing that can save us from ourselves and from each other is love. More specifically, the love of Christ. The Savior desires to rescue us from our sins, and this album proclaims this message from beginning to end. From Sanctuary to You Are Not Shaken, they all share in this common theme.
Some Kind Of Love has a beat that will get any foot tapping along as Stacey sings out his heart. His voice is possibly one of the strongest, clearest voices in CCM today. Instrumentally, this is a fantastic album. The guitars, drums, and occasional synth are all a great compliment to Phil’s voice. In Glorious, the synth can be a little hard to pick up on sometimes, but when you do, you will have a hard time getting them off your mind. The tracks Hard To Get and Old Glory, slow the album down even more. Hard To Get was originally recorded by CCM legend Rich Mullins. This song is not only a great message and another example of Stacey’s stellar pipes and versatility, it is also a tribute to one of his inspirations and to one who went too soon. Old Glory is a great addition to this album and is a tribute to our country and to Stacey’s service in the US Navy.
If you judged this album solely by the title track Into The Light, you might think that its a bit faster paced album, but in reality there are only 3 songs that come close to a rockin’ pace. Overall, it is a slower paced offering, and it is definitley worth getting. The message is one that needs to be heard. If you want to hear some samples of the album, go to www.myspace.com/philstaceymusic or iTunes. Expect to hear more good things about this album. And make sure that you pick it up on August 25th.
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