The Purchase Independent

4.5/5 Stars

While I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the music I have reviewed thus far (no matter how brutally honest I am about the flaws), I have found this common fatal flaw in the early releases I’ve reviewed: unfortunately, many artists write a great song, then continue to basically re-write the same song over and over. Charlie Phillips, on the other hand, wrote a great song, and then moved on to the next song; six times. Not only did I love the EP, but finally, each track didn’t sound the same!

Before I start kissing Charlie’s ass, let’s get something out of the way early on. Yes, he has very obvious influences. He sounds like John Mayer got into D’Angelo, and then learned every Hendrix song on the guitar. This is in no way a bad thing, because he had the skills to back all of this up. The record opened with lush angelic vocal work that could have easily gone overboard, but it didn’t. Perhaps he was showing off a little bit, but why not? He’s got the voice for it, and it sounded great. This first song, Dollars and Dimes, also reeled me in because of its infectiously memorable hooks. Each melody was catchy, but also appropriate.

As the record progresses, there are flavors of Jimi scattered throughout more catchy melodies, and even a little taste of noise! Imagine that, a soulful, border-line R&B singer/songwriter, who throws a little Colour Bük at you when you least expect it. It’s at this point in the record when we get to my second favorite moment; the third track, Cerebral and Intuition. It sounded like it should be a message on a middle school girl’s answering machine from the shy boy that sits in the back of class and never talks to her at lunch time… in other words, it’s amazing! From here, the record continues to have spot-on performances of strategically written and arranged pop songs. He has horns, harmonies, and Hendrix behind great songwriting. What else could you ask for? It’s rock and soul, somewhat complex, but also simple and accessible. There are hints of in-depth arranging, but in the end, you can sing the hook right back at the end of the songs.

Very Well May, the second to final track on this EP, was the first dip on the record. Not a big dip, not quite Octopus’s Garden, but getting there. The song was really slow and started to bore me, but just as I was beginning to think Charlie ran out of steam and didn’t have a whole EP in him, the pace slowly starts to pick up. Not only does the song pick up, but I completely forgot about this “dip” in the record when he brought in what sounded like a melodica and poly-rhythmic claps panned to each speaker. This was one of the most interesting and original ideas I’ve heard in anything I’ve reviewed so far. Hand claps in separate intricate rhythms somehow working together, but split far enough so you can sense each individual voice speaking its own language. Not only is this an “out there” idea, but there is no conventional rhythm section (drums and bass), making the track stand out even more.

Then, as if this record wasn’t good enough, we get to my favorite track, the big closer; The Alchemist. As of now, each track had specific things I loved. This song however, I can’t even narrow down what’s good or bad about it, it’s just plain (forgive my lack of eloquence) awesome! This song was so awesome that I don’t even want to attempt to describe why I liked it because it wouldn’t do it justice.

To say any track on this record stood out from the others would be unfair. Every track was equally great, but not too distant to be disorienting. Like any record, there were flaws here and there, but there were so many shining moments overshadowing the minute problems that I didn’t remember a mere moment of dislike after listening to the entire record. Killer vocals, great writing, and tasteful arrangements drew me in (and kept me in) for this entire EP. But my favorite thing about this EP was that Charlie gives you seven distinct tracks with their own melodies and ideas that are consistent enough to be part of one record. This album obviously wasn’t perfect, but it came closer than most. Definitely buy this one!!!

Check him out online at http://www.myspace.com/charliephillipsonline
Charlie can be seen playing live solo and with a band
***His debut EP is available in the coming months