Grant Lee Phillips has been a critic’s favourite ever since the days of Grant Lee Buffalo in the ‘90s, and is known for his sweet and soulful vocals and excellent songwriting. However, this acclaim has not translated into significant commercial success. With ‘Lightning Show Us Your Stuff’, his tenth album, this may be about to change. While the album fits seamlessly into Grant Lee Phillips’ discography, the quality of the album and songwriting is just that little bit better, just a touch more relaxed and with just enough subtlety to make this probably his best album. Grant Lee Phillips, who is of Indian descent, got the idea for the title from “The words of my daughter, as she thrust a manzanita branch toward the night sky. Kids being kids, I figured….then I heard the thunderclap.”. Continue reading “Grant Lee Phillips “Lightning Show Us Your Stuff” (Yep Roc, 2020)”
Tag: Grant-Lee Phillips
Video: Grant-Lee Phillips “Gather Up”
Check out the surreal new video from Grant-Lee Phillips. The soulful troubadour reflects on the track’s inspiration: “When I was kid, I was forever being dragged off with my grandparents to some little country church. The folks were always friendly as the long cars pulled up into the gravel driveway. Everyone in their Sunday best – my grandpa in a suit, grandma in a flowered dress. Once in the pews, the mood would sometimes darken with the threat of some cataclysm. Continue reading “Video: Grant-Lee Phillips “Gather Up””
Grant-Lee Phillips, The Lantern, Bristol, April 26, 2018
Amongst old carpeting and pompous high ceilings, Grant-Lee Phillips and his acoustic guitar look like they are about to play a secret gig in someone’s (admittedly rich) private living room. Even if it’s not the case, well, it feels like it anyway. When on tour, Phillips likes to strip it down to bare minimum, leaving behind his fellow musicians Jerry Roe (drums) and Lex Price (bass), who took part in the recording of his latest album ‘Widdershins’ released in February of this year. Being alone on stage doesn’t frighten him though. For Phillips, it’s like going back to the source of the album-making process just like a natural circle of life, from laying the foundations of the songs to the afterlife of his records. The experience allows him to play differently with some areas of the song too, cunningly tweaking and twisting them. Continue reading “Grant-Lee Phillips, The Lantern, Bristol, April 26, 2018”
Grant-Lee Phillips “Widdershins” (Yep Roc Records, 2018)
With this record G-LP sounds confident, spontaneous, relaxed and angry – it’s a heady brew and provides the fuel to make this his best set of songs for some time. Each song is a stinging jab with lyrical barbs and musical hooks, a riposte to the current political situation. Make no mistake, these are protest songs, subtle and cutting. Recorded over four days they have an immediacy; they haven’t rehearsed the soul out of the songs which smoulder and often catch fire. Continue reading “Grant-Lee Phillips “Widdershins” (Yep Roc Records, 2018)”