Dave's Review

Label: Word/Curb/Warner Bros.
Released: 02/24/04

Websites: www.davidphelps.com and www.wordlabelgroup.com
CD Song Titles: “Arms Open Wide," "Heart Of Hearts," "Love Goes On," "Just As I Am," "Revelation," "Virtuoso," "Satisfaction," "Perdoname Dios (Pardon Me God)," "God Will Take Care Of You," "Break Free," "Live Like A King," and "Virtuoso (Reprise)"

David Phelps is right at home among the other big solo voices of Christian pop music. As a matter of fact, Phelps is right at home with just about any style of music he attempts to sing . . . ranging from Southern Gospel to Country to Inspirational as a member of the Gaither Vocal Band since 1997. On the most recent GVB release, a cappella, Phelps handled most of the vocal arrangments and made good use of his classical music training. When you call for "versatile," Phelps is there to answer.

Revelation is the third solo release for David Phelps since coming to national attention with the GVB, picking up where his 2001 self-titled release left off. The first characteristic I noticed about this project is that the arrangements are longer than average. 11 of the tunes are over four minutes in length. The opening track titled "Arms Open Wide" is the longest, clocking in at nearly five minutes and a half.

With Regie Hamm producing this time around, pop elements in the music tracks are a little more aggressive than Phelps' last solo release . . . particularly on songs like "Revelation," "Virtuoso," and "Satisfaction." If you enjoyed "The End Of The Beginning" from Phelp's earlier project, you should like "Revelation." Imagine a normal guy in the unusual situation of witnessing the second coming of Christ. Rather than using a standard verse/chorus method of songwriting, Phelps adds to the song structure as the story progresses. "Virtuoso" has a pounding dance floor beat. You may think the song title is about Phelps himself, since he's a virtuoso singer and co-wrote the tune, but Phelps is giving credit to God for creation. "Satisfaction" mixes a variety of elements including a creative bass guitar track, snatches of strings, and a bit of analogue synthesizer.

In total contrast, "Perdoname Dios (Pardon Me God)" has a gentle Spanish guitar treatment that is joined by strings and a background choir as the tune progresses. "God Will Take Care Of You" continues the more laid back mood with an encouraging lyric. On "Break Free," Phelps incorporates some soulful qualities into his vocal delivery while a Rhodes piano based accompaniment adopts the same mood. "Live Like A King" is a basic pop anthem that would sound great on the radio. The "Virtuoso" reprise at the end of the project is an acoustic "unplugged" version.

Revelation gets off to a somewhat generic start with the first four cuts, but the payoff begins with the title track and continues to the end of the CD as I've described in the two paragraphs above. (At least, I'm assuming the song sequence on the production units is the same as on the advance release copy provided to me for review.) David Phelps is an amazingly versatile vocalist and songwriter. Revelation is an excellent showcase for his abilities. Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

--- David Bruce Murray