Search - Glen Phillips :: Winter Pays for Summer

Brilliant & Bold

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 04/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Abulum" was a stunning solo set. "Back on My Feet" & "Darkest Hour" both spent weeks on top of my personal top ten rotation; so I had high hopes for this new Lost Highway release. I am delighted that Glen's newest CD exceeds my fondest expectations. There are no weak tracks. The songwriting, musicianship and vocal expressiveness of Phillips as a singer are all in peak form. My instant favorite is "True" co-written with Semisonic's Dan Wilson. Its soft pop melody, Phillips' high plaintive vocals and brilliantly stunning lyrics are amazing song craft, "You're in & out of my hands, slipping like sand, passing the time; Your love is brutally bold, careless & cold, but it's mine, mine." "Easier" boasts a bright pop melody and some delightfully lively acoustic guitar. "Oh God, I pray to thee; don't want to die before we're free, dive down inside this sea & maybe at the bottom I'll find some key" is the addictive chorus to "Gather" whose message is excellently borne by the stunning melody & arrangement. "Courage" is another stunner whose arrangement builds masterfully with Ben Folds' and Kristin Mooney's background vocals adding emotional strength, "I'm tired of being afraid of what I can't change; I want to be living free." Like "True," "Cleareyed" was written with Dan Wilson and has an expansive melody that U2 would envy with Phillips' full-throated vocals delivering the payload. The other tracks on the set like the single "Thankful" and the opener "Duck & Cover" are all strong. With Josh Rouse's "Nashville," Maia Sharp's "Fine Upstanding Citizen" and now Glen Phillips' "Winter Pays for Summer," spring of 2005 is turning out to be a most excellent musical season! This CD is best of the year quality. Bravo!"

This is Glen's best record

It's Me, | Houston | 05/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yep, better than any of the Toad the Wet Sprocket albums, this is the one to get. "Finally Fading" is one of the best buoyant pop songs of the year, and the whole album is a fantastic listen start-to-finish. I'm impressed with the performances, the musicianship, the lyrics . . . everything. And I was only a casual fan before. I dock the album one star for the somewhat brittle and top-heavy mix on the songs Bob Clearmountain worked on."

We've all got a lot to be thankful for...

C. Willms | Saint Paul, MN United States | 09/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was a huge Toad the Wet Sprocket fan and was depressed when I realized there would be no more Toad albums to look forward to. I kept up with the various members as they moved on and downloaded everything I could find from Glen Phillips and the band Lapdog which consisted Todd, Randy and even Dean for a while. Both entities put out some great music but I eventually lost track of them.



I happened upon "Winter Pays for Summer" and snapped it up. After spending a month or so listening to this album I have to agree with many reviewers here at Amazon.com - it's GREAT! "Duck and Cover"Finally Fading Out" and "Thankful" are very strong. His lyrics are very good and the richness of the instrumental accompaniment proves that this is no lightweight effort.



I am less infatuated with the slow, moody songs - but then I never liked TTWS slow, moody songs either. The pop song "Falling" is a decent tune but here the lyrics seem lacking. The only song I dislike is "Gather".



Do I think this album is better than TTWS as some here have suggested? No, but then is Phil Collins better than Genesis? Nope, not even close. Is Paul McCartney better than the Beatles? I laugh in your face. Is Ozzy Osbourne better than Sabbath? Come on... All kidding aside, there was a rawness about TTWS that I loved; an intangible that is only achieved by the group effort. You can sort of hear it in Lapdog's early releases where most of the old group was still together. All that was missing was the heart - Glen Phillips."