Phil Keaggy
's career spans over 30 years with 20 vocal albums and 17 instrumental ones to his credit. His
Hymnsongs
project is a collection of standard
hymns
. What
Keaggy
has done here is take
that aren't necessarily readily recognizable and mold them with his signature riffs, taking them to a new level.
Hymns
like
"In the Bleak Midwinter"
are charged with
's classic distorted tones as he drives the point home with triplets at the song's end.
"Abide With Me"
is a cut that breathes a life of its own. The tune is layered quite nicely with acoustics and electrics finding their place together.
"Fairest Lord Jesus"
is a
hymn
that is played close to the vest. Here
utilizes the styles of
classical
and
jazz
to meld the song close to its original arrangement. Only
could appropriately take an old classic like
"Nothing but the Blood"
and transform it to a
Jimi Hendrix
-influenced composition. The song absolutely drips with soul as
delivers an inspired performance.
is a disc that finds
doing what he does best, playing the guitar and blazing through style after style flawlessly. Fans of the guitar will be amazed while casual listeners will be blessed. ~ Steven Douglas Losey