17 years after As If’s last album, Phillip Goss is back with an 11 track release. He says; “I had just come through cancer and felt a real strong leading from God to do a new album, putting all the experiences and emotions into the music and lyrics.”
The pop/rock orientated opener ‘Come into My Word’ sets the scene with lyrics that bear the singer’s heart raw and hurt, but open to God. Music is provided by a mixture of synths and guitars, and it’s a strong opening number. ‘More Than This’ comes across like a latter-day Duran Duran track, with some very Nick Rhodes keyboards style. Vocally, Phillip has real feeling and a pleasing tone throughout. A nice acoustic guitar is the backbone of ‘Sail This Boat.’ Like the rest of the songs, it’s very personal as the lyrics read; “Sailing this boat again; I see no stars to guide the way; And sinking in the crashing waves; Please help me to steer this boat again.”
Deep, bass chords greet ‘White Picket Fences’ before opening into a bright and sunny sound that bops along with a pleasing beat. Of this song, Phil writes; “I love the thought of being released from time constraints and from being on a treadmill. Heaven will be true freedom and the thought of seeing Jesus face to face….wow !” Gone are the techno sounds of previous albums, and in comes a more contemporary, mature, rock feel. There’s a great guitar bridge on ‘Mountain’ which also features some mandolin strumming, too. Lyrics that tell of Phillip’s journey are weaved into engaging tracks like ‘How Far Is East to West’ and the cheery ‘Like Being Born Again’ which sounds like a ‘Disco 2000’ follow up from Blur! I had this one on repeat for ages.
The title track is the final one of the album, and it’s a bit of an epic that runs for more than 16 minutes. After the passing of a number of significant family members and friends, the song tells of dealing with death, grief and finding new direction, knowing Jesus is there holding us through it. The contrast of heavy guitar and synth sounds with more gentle sounds help to depict this time in in the singer’s life. It’s a very moving piece.
After so long away from the music scene, I wasn’t sure what to expect from As If. However, this new release brings so much to the musical table, both lyrically and musically. Welcome back Phillip! 9/10.