Hymn Songs

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 hymns 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 Keaggy'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 Keaggy utilizes the styles of classical and jazz to meld the song close to its original arrangement. Only Keaggy 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 Keaggy delivers an inspired performance. Hymnsongs is a disc that finds Keaggy 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