Time 1

Time 1

Phil Keaggy is one of contemporary Christian music's pioneers. A superb musician, his music has always been more a reflection of who he is (a musician who is a Christian) and not so much what he is (a Christian musician). In honor of his 30-plus-year career, Myrrh Records released a two-volume set showcasing some of the more interesting recorded moments in Keaggy's catalog. It's tough to pick between the two, but volume 1 perhaps illustrates a little more clearly the diversity Keaggy displayed over three decades. CCM radio fans will recognize "Love Divine," a nice little Beatlesque number that charted high several years ago. "March of the Clouds," one of Keaggy's personal faves, is a masterful and beautiful instrumental off of 1987's <i>The Wind and the Wheat</i>. Both "Theme" and "Where Is My Maker?" capture the late-'70s sound of the Phil Keaggy Band, a rock fusion outfit whose music (not to mention the outfits in the CD's cover notes!) will inspire some grins. "Do Lord," a 1971 live track from a Glass Harp opening gig for the Kinks at New York's Carnegie Hall, is another historical milestone, as is "Little Ones," a highly charged ode to unborn children and the abortion issue, recorded in 1980. Considering that a good deal of his recorded work is no longer available, Keaggy fans owe it to themselves to pick up both volumes of <i>Time</i>. <i>--Michael Lyttle</i>