Wasting no time, Phillip Phillips is poised to release his first CD. Check out this article for a audio sample of every song on the new cd
Wow. I’m really impressed with this freshman effort. Recorded in only three weeks while up against a crazy deadline, Phillip spent up to 15 hours a day in the studio with his nose to the grindstone. Unlike other recent American Idol debut cd’s, this one isn’t chock full of producers. Produced by Greg Wattenberg (Train, Daughtry, Goo Goo Dolls, Five For Fighting) his sound certainly comes through.
There is certainly a hint of the ‘Train sound’ on this cd, as well as some Maroon 5. A very commercial and polished sound but a sound that still exemplifies the individuality that is uniquely Phillip Phillips. One track sounds a little Dave Matthewish, another is much more gutteral and bluesy, taking us back to Phillips’ roots (it was written by Phillip and Ben several years ago).
Take a listen to the songs below. Below the video you will see comments on each song, direct from Phillip.
Man On The Moon (written by Phillip Phillips) – “I wrote that song by myself. It’s just me, the music and lyrics. It’s a song about someone trying to be somebody that they’re not, and how you need to be yourself no matter what. But I had that song written right before ‘Idol,’ so I wasn’t really thinking about that. It’s something more personal. I don’t want to say what it’s about right now. Maybe if I get a ‘VH1 Storytellers’ someday, I will…”
Home (Greg Holden, Drew Pearson) – “This song [which has sold 2 million downloads] has just been a blessing to me. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’ve grown more into the song; each time I play it, I make it more of my own and do some fun things to make it more different, to make it more me.”
Gone Gone Gone (Derek Fuhrmann, Todd Clark, Gregg Wattenberg) – “This is just a beautiful love song–but it’s not cheesy. I really like how it plays out. It has a serious feel to it, like, ‘I’ll be at your side, no matter what.’ But it doesn’t have to be about a girlfriend or boyfriend. It can be about anyone that you love dearly–a family member or something.”
Hold On (Phillip Phillips) – “I wrote this one a while back. It’s about how when I was a little younger, after graduating college, people would say, ‘You’ll find yourself out in this world. You’ll find out who you are later in life.’ Which is kind of true…but they don’t know me at all, so they don’t know if I’ve found myself already or not! So that’s what the song means. Have I found myself? I don’t know! It’s a big world out there.”
Tell Me A Story (Phillip Phillips, David Ryan Harris) – “I had the music mostly written during ‘Idol,’ but I never wrote any words to it. After I won, I wrote the first verse and half of the second verse, but then I was just stumped. So they brought in David Ryan Harris, an awesome songwriter. It took us maybe an hour or two to come up with a second verse. He wrote it, and I loved it. It’s a story about hope, I guess–about not being scared of what’s around you, and trying to take it all in. It’s a sweet love song, too, saying not to be scared to just go out there.”
Get Up Get Down (Phillip Phillips, Gregg Wattenberg, Derek Fuhrmann) – “This is a funky song, a fun song. It’ll be fun to play live. The verse has a nice melody, but when the chorus comes in, it gets a bit aggressive. This one is also about going out there and experiencing the whole world.”
Where We Came From (Phillip Phillips, Jon Green) – “I wrote this with Jon Green, from London. Such a nice, awesome guy. I showed him an idea I had, a funky guitar part, and I was thinking of making it a bigger song–but once we got to the chorus, he kind of brought it down and made it a little more mellow. And I enjoyed that. It’s catchy, but lyrics-wise, it’s got some good meaning to it. It’s got darker lyrics.”
Drive Me (Phillip Phillips, Ben Neil) – “That’s a song me and my brother-in-law Ben wrote a while ago. It was a pretty heavy rock song, but we tried to lighten it up to fit the album more. It’s basically about going to a bar or club, and trying to look for a good-looking lady! Ben should tell [Phillip's sister, to whom Ben is married] that it’s not autobiographical! [laughs]”
Wanted Is Love (Phillip Phillips) – “I wrote that one two or three years ago, but I changed up the lyrics for this album. It’s kind of a deep song, about how everybody wants to be loved in some way, and how it’s not wrong to feel that way. Some ‘tough guys’ might want to sound romantic, but I’m like, there’s nothing wrong with being romantic, or with loving someone. It’s okay to want to be loved.”
Can’t Go Wrong (Phillip Phillips, Greg Holden, Drew Pearson) – “I wrote this with the guys who wrote ‘Home.’ We got in the studio, met each other, and this ‘Idol’ thing was all new to them, too. We wrote it in three or four hours, maybe, and I really liked how it turned out. We wanted to keep it similar to ‘Home,’ but I told them I wanted more of a rockish feel, not too folky. It’s just a good song about not losing yourself. For me, it was about my whole experience with ‘Idol,’ about not losing who I am and sticking to my ground.”
Fool’s Dance (Phillip Phillips) – “I wrote this a year or two ago. It’s a very personal song, a very dark song, about how you think you know someone, and you’ve known them a long time–and then something changes in the blink of an eye, and they’re not the same person that you thought they were. But everything works out in the end, because I love the song. And I like that it’s a little bit darker.”
So Easy (Stephen Wrabel, Peter Amato, Pete Salis) – “This is a just a good little love song that maybe people will like. Who wrote it? Honestly, I have no idea! I was hoping you wouldn’t ask. [laughs] I think it’ll be a pretty good song after I make it more of my own and play it out live.”
YES!!!