David Phelps - Revelation, CD Review

Feb

2004

David Phelps - Revelation

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Phelps isn’t as new as some think he is. He’s been with the Gaither Vocal Band for over six years now, cranking out five albums with the critically acclaimed Southern Gospel quartet, and he has released two solo albums previous to this album on Spring Hill Music Group. For fans of the Gaither Vocal Band, Revelation probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea. However, fans of his two Spring Hill albums will probably more than enjoy his latest effort. Phelps shows signs of growth as a pop artist on this album, yet not enough to convince us that he is a full-fledged pop star. His debut album (not his Christmas album) was a strong record that showcased mainly Phelps’ unmatched vocals, yet musically felt very outdated. Revelation, while still showcasing David’s amazing vocal ability, raises the bar for big balladry, yet doesn’t do anything new in the pop market. The album boasts a myriad of talented songwriters helping Phelps create a solid effort. Names such as Steve Siler, Cindy Morgan, Nee-C Walls, Dave Clark, Chris Harris, and Regie Hamm show up in the liner notes, proving that the songwriting will be top notch this time around. The album kicks off with the first single, “Arms Open Wide”, a rousing pop number that sets the tone for the rest of the record. Unfortunately, the rest of the album never really lives up to the tone of the first song. “Break Free” sees Phelps trying out R&B and jazz influenced sounds, and while his vocals come off perfect, his tone and sound doesn’t quite fit the genre. “Satisfaction” is a big misstep, with Phelps going into funk-infused pop, and just falls short of truly being a great pop song and sounds as dated as his first record. “Virtuoso” is a catchy dance influenced track, yet doesn’t set Phelps apart from likes of Jonathan Pierce or Avalon, two big voiced artists who are known for dance-flavored pop tunes. “Revelation” is the biggest mistake on the album. While I’m sure it’s a great concert number, it doesn’t quite show the emotion or attitude on CD that it needs to really pull it off. It’s a little too “rock-opera"-ish. Phelps truly shines on the big ballads, as seen in tunes like “Just As I Am”, “God Will Take Care of You” and “Heart of Hearts”. “Perdome Dios (Pardon Me God)” is the highlight of the album, mixing emotion filled lyrics with an amazingly beautiful melody line. It shows the direction that Phelps should be going as a solo artist. Forget the pop. Forget the dance. Forget the R&B. Go with your classical roots, and you could be the next Josh Groban.

Reader Comments

No this album is not SG, but with David's connection to GVB, that is why it is reveiwed and talked about.
Same can be said for Jonathan Pierce, Michael English, and others.
It is still a great album!!!

Commented by On 03/05/2004

Here we go! I know I am about to open a can of worms.... but.... I wish that people wouldn’t be so closed minded about what they consider is good singing.... I love southern gospel but I do measure talent weather it be country gospel, bluegrass or this trend setting style that David has! If you do that there is no contest if you can hear pitch, and tone quality you will know that regardless to what style you put David in you will always have to say that with that measuring stick David Phelps has no one biting at his heals.... What I mean is... There are no other tenors lead singers and or baritones in Southern Gospel that would want to go toe to toe in a vocal contest that is for sure!

:light:

Commented by On 03/05/2004

:thumbsdown: Wow, 3 and a half stars for one of the greatest singers ever to grace a stage singing on a top quality CD. What exactly do the stars on these reviews represent? Do they represent talent and quality or the style preference of the reviewer? If you cannot seperate these two issues you should not be reviewing these types of CDs. This review is an insult to anyone with a musical background beyond the very narrow confines of southern gospel.

Commented by On 03/08/2004

Two names . . . Roger Ebert and Owen Glieberman. Why do I mention them? They are two well known movie critics who base all their reviews on their own personal tastes. They're as quick to scorn a well known, big budget film as they are to recommend some project no one has ever heard about.

As for what the stars represent, click on the link that says "Rating System" under the review.

Commented by On 03/09/2004

I agree with Brent. Well said.

Commented by On 03/09/2004

LOL. Brent. Obviously you don't know me or my tastes very well. I don't base my reviews on my personal tastes. I base it on how good the album actually is. I have a vast knowledge of almost every genre of gospel music (excluding more obscure genres such as traditional Gospel, rap, or bluegrass).

Pop music is my first love. There were no "narrow confines" in this reviewer. You must have me confused with someone else.

I'd also like to continue to mention that this review is not based on vocals alone. David's vocals are fantastic. The fact is that the song selection and songwriting was not what it could have been. I expected much better.

Commented by On 03/09/2004

I have some mixed feelings here. On one hand, I absolutely agree with Chris's review. David Phelps does not have the vocal stylings of a pop or rock singer. I am in 100% agreement that he needs to test the waters Josh Groban is treading in. I think the results would be mind-blowing. I think you would agree with me, Chris, that this CD sounds like it's 7-8 years old already. Within a vacuum, you're dead on.

The mixed feelings I have are in the fact that this CD gets 3 1/2 stars alongside The Cerces. And, apparently, this CD is 1/2 star worse than Psalm 101. Uh, no. But I can't blame Chris for that. I think his review is dead-on. If anything, I may have given it a worse rating...maybe 3 stars.

Commented by On 03/10/2004

Chris, I think you are very astute in your obserations. I am a huge David Phelps fan. In fact the other night when the homecoming series was in Carbondale, Illinois I had the opportunity to sit in on David's sound check and visit with him for a little while. While I have great respect for David both as a person and as an Artist, I wonder where exactly this album is going? Because of David's enormous talent he has obviously been given carte blanche creatively for his projects. It is obvious that he feels strongly about the music on this album because he wrote or co-wrote everything on the project. Unfortunately, the overall impact of an album has more to do that with just the quality of the voice. Revelation, for instance is an incredible song to see performed live. However on the recording it loses all of the dramatic impact that you get from seeing it live. Because of the many style changes on the album there is a choppiness that happens. I'm not saying that all songs have to be the same, but if every single song is drastically different in style it becomes a grouping of individual songs instead of a cohesive project. That being said, I love David Phelps. Unfortunately, some people feel that if you don't give their favorite artist a great review that means that you are "putting them down". This is certainly not the case. David is a tremendous talent, unfortunately this album isn't.

Commented by On 03/10/2004

I feel that I haven’t made myself clear!

I too have favorites but... It is just really hard for me to swallow (with all due respect) Debra Tally and others like her getting 5 STARS and David getting 3 ½. If I were an artist it would be hard for me to respect much less agree with that review of five stars when someone that clearly is head and shoulders ahead of me in talent getting a review of 3 ½ stars.... Example.... Gold City 3 Stars and (Sunday morning Local church quartet getting 5 stars... That is all I am saying that is why I have a hard time with this review. This is my final post to this board.

Great site guys I love it. It is the first site I go to in the morning and the last before I go to bed. God Bless your Ministry

Commented by On 03/10/2004

I think in many ways, it all depends on the reviewer. Each review is different, and sometimes you have to base your review from the musical style of the recording and how the recording ranks in that style. A bluegrass album for instance, may receive 4 or 5 stars, because in that style, it is a notch above the average. Whereas, in something that is more into CCM like David's CD, you have to rank within that style.

I hope I made sense! LOL!

Commented by On 03/10/2004

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