Touching upon the deepest place of humanity in all of us, Jill Phillips follows up her acclaimed indie album, God & Money, with Writing on the Wall. Bypassing traditional words of worship for more personal commentaries on life, she nonetheless succeeds in magnifying God's greatness in light of our sinful, failure-ridden natures.
Phillips' sound is at once both expectedly solemn and disarmingly enchanting. While the humble acoustic folk music plays, her soothing voice draws you in without effort, and her words quickly cut right to the bone. She alternates between light folk/pop moments that get surprisingly gritty at times, and ballads, which provide the most introspective moments. Her greatest gift is the way she gets you to drop your guard before you realize you've done it, and take her words to heart. That kind of unforced emotional resonance is a rare gift. Thanks to Phillips' marrow-deep honesty and authentic character, I'd recommend this charming little disc to anyone.
