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  Journey
Toward Zion, the new album by singer/songwriter Jenny Phillips,
is a warm blanket of music to wear on a cold winter night of the
soul. Though the songs are somewhat non-descript, individually,
as a whole the moving music and angelic voices make this a standout
of the LDS inspirational genre.
The Journey begins with a clever medley called "Come"
which combines original verses with snippets of old hymnbook favorites
including "Come, Come Ye Saints", "Come Follow Me"
and "Israel, Israel, God is Calling". Soft strings and
dripping harp introduce Jenny's liquid voice, which trades off with
the sweet voices of James Stevens, Mindy Gledhill and Katherine
Nelson. A rich choir punctuates a flowing violin solo. The dynamics
of this song are light, but swell in the right ways, and invite
the listener to follow along.
The second track, "Carry Me Through", is a piano ballad
featuring the pleasing voice of Juan Pereira. A nice song, as Jenny's
words speak of spiritual longing- The light is fading. Something
in my heart is failing. Reach into me now. Lift me up somehow.
"When We Meet Again" begins with nylon guitar and flows
into the captivating voice of Mindy Gledhill as she moves towards
an invigorating chord turn before the title phrase. This is a real
standout of the album, in terms of the songwriting. Very pretty.
Jenny sings again on the fourth track, "Every Breath",
which is another slow but beautiful piano ballad. The song builds
nicely as string pads breathe and sway with the melody.
"He Moves Mountains in Me" features a nice harmony refrain
between Jenny and Hayley Anderson.
As the album continues, there is more of the same, which is both
a great thing and also a bit of a disappointment. Certainly soft
ballads are what's expected here, and they are delivered with the
right vocal touch and sense of lightness, but after a while, the
songs lose any sense of distinction. There is one piano ballad after
another, with the same kind of lolling, meandering vocal melodies…
There is very little in the way of hooks, and if any kind of songs
need hooks to make them really stand out, it would be these kind
of soft ballads. Also, the production hints at some unique textures
without following through. For example, the beginning of "Lay
it Down" begins with some mystical guitar and piano, but quickly
folds into the same kind of soft piano ballad as the rest of the
album. Most of the songs on the album feature this kind of production,
where an interesting intro turns into the same non-descript piano
and voice when the first verse enters, and it quickly becomes predicatable.
"Rescue Me" begins with some ethereal strings, and once
again, everything pulls back and the vocals enter over the usual
soft piano chording. The song has one of the better chorus melodies
of the album, and has some nice dynamics that are lacking on other
songs. Heard on its own, a song like "Rescue Me" would
seem just perfect and beautifully arranged, but in the context of
everything else on the album, with that first verse coming in and
sounding just like every other song, it takes away a bit from what
might otherwise make it seem particularly special.
That many of the songs don't really have the kind of definition
that would make them truly memorable, whether heard individually
or within the album's song cycle, is not necessarily a detriment
to the album's value. This is still a wonderful collection of inspirational
music,with beautiful voices and very pleasant arrangements, and
ideal to listen to when relaxing and reflecting on matters of the
spirit.
As a package, Journey Towards Zion is particularly nice in that
there is enhanced Flash content in addition to the music tracks.
Unfortunately, I couldn't access anything beyond the startup page
on either of the two computers I tried it on, but when working as
intended, there are apparently videos and fireside footage of Jenny
talking about the CD. If you're the kind of person (like me) who
watches a good movie on DVD and then has to watch every little extra
feature, including the interview with the key grip's therapist,
then this will be an extra special value for you to see after listening
to the album.
A brief aside here…
I can't help but hear an album like this and think of all of the
music I've heard since joining the church fourteen years ago, and
how much of what constitutes the "LDS Inspirational" genre
consists of the same kind of thing- soft piano ballads with a side
order of strings. I wonder if there is an assumption, musically
speaking, that "soft equals spiritual", to the exclusion
of anything else. Certainly, some of the most tender and deep spiritual
moments in life can be best conveyed by just such elegant music
with quiet arrangements, but I feel as though there is an element
of dynamics missing from much of this genre. I think of the heavenly
power and majesty of a hymn like "The Spirit of God",
and the moving dynamics of a contemporary spiritual ballad like
"Bridge Over Troubled Water", and I just don't hear much
of that coming from LDS inspirational artists. I challenge Deseret
Book and Excel and the artists they produce to create more vivid
and varied spiritual music, without using the same piano ballad
formula so often. Jenny Phillips has a very moving voice and is
capable of writing memorable songs that indeed inspire and uplift,
and I'd like to hear her and others create more of a three-dimensional
inspirational experience when releasing albums. Not to cease and
desist from producing beautiful piano ballads… the best ones
will always be welcome and treasured… but they will stand out
so much the better in the midst of other inspirational music that
has more definition and dynamics.
***
(three stars out of five)
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Eric
Endres
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