Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child

Album Review

For this record, Phil Keaggy and his band of cohorts were attempting to re-create one of those classic albums from the mid-'60s à la the Byrds or the Beatles, using only vintage guitars played through vintage amplifiers. They even used Ringo's old drum set. And they did a fair job with their little anthropological exercise. Many of the licks and chord changes simply were not around back in the day — and the keyboard sounds on "Everything Is Alright" could not have been created with any instrument in the '60s. However, on its own merits, the album is Keaggy's strongest ever — and a landmark for the Christian music industry. Opening with a brilliant, heartfelt, happy-go-lucky "Tell Me How You Feel," Sunday's Child rocks one punchy number after another. The title track comes closest to an early Beatles sound, with its jangly lyrics and simple 1-4-5 major blues progression. Others, such as "Big Eraser" or the opening to "I've Just Begun (Again)" hark back to a more psychedelic time. Keaggy's guitar sounds amazing (as usual) and his playing is very refreshing to hear on these old fat guitars. There also is excellent bass work by Rick Cua throughout. Other standout tracks include "Walk in Two Worlds" and "This Could Be the Moment." This is a timeless record that always manages to sound fresh with each listen. ~ Adrian M. Kamwell, Rovi