According to Stephen Holden, of The New York Times "The music of Phil Roy... accomplishes a delicate emotional surgery countless troubadours have tried, but few have been able to carry off. [Roy] describes personal experie... more »nces of love, loss and spiritual revelation with a naked honesty untainted by narcissism." Holden joins the list of prominent music critics to hail ?Issues + Options? as one of 2003?s most compelling albums.« less
According to Stephen Holden, of The New York Times "The music of Phil Roy... accomplishes a delicate emotional surgery countless troubadours have tried, but few have been able to carry off. [Roy] describes personal experiences of love, loss and spiritual revelation with a naked honesty untainted by narcissism." Holden joins the list of prominent music critics to hail ?Issues + Options? as one of 2003?s most compelling albums.
CD Reviews
Lush and exotic
Larry White | AdultPop.com | 05/12/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is another fine album of varied and textured, thoughtful and inspiring, by-all-rights-should-be pop music. Roy dares to take on big subjects (he even lists them on the cd insert, those very " 'i's and 'o's" of the title). But his artistry lies in his ability to do it so deftly and without pretense. Whenever a lyric tends toward the cliché or the heavy-handed, Roy balances it with a subtle, understated musical approach. Thus songs with such weighty titles as 'Hope in a Hopeless World' or 'The Have and the Have Nots', even 'God is not Sleeping' provoke but do not preach. Likewise, love songs like 'Amazing', 'My Love Will Find You', 'Melt', and 'The 29th Day' which, in another's hands, could easily become sentimental, even maudlin, are presented without more than a trace of saccharine. The music, like much of Sting's solo work, is lush and exotic. The performances are top-flight, especially those of guitarists Heitor Pereira and Ricardo Silveira. Roy's voice is evocative and pleasingly nasal, reminiscent of one of our favorites, Andy Pratt. If, in these dark days of popular music, Roy, like Pratt, fails to reach the wider audience he deserves, at least we will have been among the lucky ones."
A++ Classic!
Larry White | 09/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you love music, don't miss this album! Phil Roy has done what most singer/songwriters fail to do in this era of the split-second attention span: He draws on real emotion, his own honest experience, a wonderful command of the language, and the best of the traditions of pop writing, to create an album that speaks to everyone young and old in our society. The production is exemplary, reminiscent in sound and quality of some classic Quincy Jones recordings. There is not a bad song on this album. A truly enjoyable listening experience."
Phil Roy's ISSUES + OPTIONS is a MUST HAVE
Natster | Shrewsbury, MA | 06/14/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Phil's ISSUES + OPTIONS is a finely crafted work and a perfect follow-up to GROUCHYFRIENDLY. There is agony in his whispers and soul-baring in his lyrics. MELT will do just that to your heart. This cd is packed with raw emotion of every type, and there's fine musicianship to back it up. I cannot recommend this enough! (this cd is FINALLY getting airplay on AAA! ABOUT TIME!)"
Phil Roy is a treasure....
Natster | 02/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Phil Roy has one of the most beautiful, plaintive singing voices I've ever heard. I'm 47 and my 27 year old friend turned me
on to his music a few months back. I'm hooked....it's beautiful and cannot lend the CD to someone else who'd like to listen."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1