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The wildly prodigious Phil Keaggy is back again, this time with a deeply personal acoustic project called "Dream Again."
I immediately liked this title, and even more so when I read a bit about Keaggy’s story. After years of dealing with industry antics, he apparently felt a bit dry and needed to “dream again,” a condition instantly recognized by most of us, industry or not. He has described “Dream Again,” his first vocal album in six years, as a “relationship album,” touching upon our relationship with God and those He has placed close to us. It comes across like a family photo album, musically speaking, giving us unrestricted views into Keaggy family history through the two gentle tracks dedicated to his older sisters (“Kathy’s Song” and “How Can I Thank You”), referring to their father’s illness, care-taking times, and other very particular family reference points. This kind of personal homage limits the universality of the songs, but I guess if anybody should be allowed, it’s a living legacy like Keaggy. There are also songs dedicated to his wife Bernadette (the sunny Beatlesque “It’s You and Me”) and daughter Olivia (the bright “There With You”), and daughter Alicia joins him on the standout track “Micah 6:8,” her soft vocals perfect over the airy world beats and fabulous vibes. But I enjoyed him most when he veered off into topics more common to us all, like the well-crafted, edgy “Why,” a part rock/part rap track (the rap covered by son Ian) that questions social behaviors. The slightly bluesy Dylanesque “Redemption” continues the commentary on human relations, and “Revive Me” stands out for its edgy honesty. Drummer Chris McHugh makes his presence felt in a big way on several of these tracks and Keaggy’s playing is, of course, spectacular throughout. Fans will delight in the reflective “Traveling Light,” the one instrumental track. As they say, Phil Keaggy could put the phone book to music and make it entertaining. It’s not the stunning rock of “Crimson and Blue” or “Find Me in These Fields,” but why must it be? Phil Keaggy is certainly an artist whom we can trust to explore and examine new formats, if anyone is. I found “Dream Again” to be a worthy investment and a solid listening experience.
The copyright of the article Phil Keaggy: Dream Again in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish Phil Keaggy: Dream Again in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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