Description
The Turning is the fourth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Leslie Phillips, released on Myrrh Records in 1987, a division of Word. Also manufactured and distributed by A&M Records. The album was recorded at Eagle Audio in Fort Worth, Texas; and at multiple studios in the Los Angeles area, California – Sound Factory; Sunset Sound; Mad Hatter; Mama Jo’s Recording Studio; and Capitol Studios – with T-Bone Burnett producing. Mixed by Tchad Blake. All songs written by Leslie Phillips except “Libera Me” and “God Is Watching You” co-written with Burnett, and “River Of Love” written by Burnett and originally recorded on his self-titled album released in 1986.
Featuring a session band containing T-Bone Burnett on guitars and a rhythm section consisting of bassist Jerry Scheff and drummer Mickey Curry, with Alex Acuña sitting in on percussion. Vocal harmonies provided by Peter Case and Tonio K.
The Turning was Phillips’ final studio album for a CCM label as well as her last studio album released under the artist name Leslie Phillips. Her next studio album, The Indescribable Wow, was released on the mainstream label Virgin Records in June 1988 under a new artist name, Sam Phillips. In their review of The Indescribable Wow, Rolling Stone Magazine stated that “on this remarkable singer’s last album, The Turning, Phillips glided through a vivid, stripped-down collection of country, pop and inspirational tunes produced by T Bone Burnett. Regrettably, almost no one bought it..,” and, according to All Music Guide, “those who discovered Phillips with ‘Cruel Inventions‘ or ‘Martinis & Bikinis‘ would do well to go back and acquire this superb album.”
Leslie Phillips (Horizon AM-2938) Love Is Not Lost (3:57) (Word/ASCAP) (Leslie Phillips) (Producer: T Bone Burnett).
Phillips’ debut commercial single has a classic pop ring that places her in immediate contention with The Bangles and ’til tuesday. Burnett’s tight production is open enough for every sound to ricochet in layers of sparkling, ringing sound. [Cash Box Magazine, May 2, 1987 (Single Releases – Feature Picks)]
After three strong albums, Leslie Phillips comes of age artistically with ‘The Turning’. Where ‘Beyond Saturday Night‘ hinted at the possibilities of her talent as a songwriter, her second album got bogged down in her screeching, nasal whine and a bad mix. And if that was ‘Dancing with Danger‘, then ‘Black and White in a Grey World‘ was both musically and lyrically “Playing It Safe,” even though they worked out the bugs sonically. Under the ample direction of ace producer T-Bone Burnett, whose work with Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, BoDeans, and Peter Case has made him near legendary behind the board, Phillips has fine tuned her songwriting, developed her range vocally, and sharpened her artistic vision.
‘The Turning’ runs on the dual track of the dis-ease and brokenness of humanity – expressed here as the dissolution of romantic love – and the sympathetic theme of our dependence on God to make sense of it all. «River of Love», written by Burnett and performed on his self-titled Dot/MCA country release last year, explores the grief, loss, and pain of failed commitments while at the same time recognizing the grace of “a river of love that runs through all times.” Broken but not beaten by «Expectations» that turned her from a “thou” to an “it” in her lover’s eyes, the singer affirms that «Love Is Not Lost», for “if true love never did exist/ How could we know its name?”
Phillips has taken big risks, and the artistic achievement is reflective of a more mature and thoughtful faith. In «Down», she sings of the shattered convictions and fallen religion that result when the trappings of American Christianity fade under the reality of God’s devastating otherness: “I hit the dirt when I see/ Who you really are.” Still, «Answers Don’t Come Easy» and her «Beating Heart» is “needing meaning, wanting to know/ Just what I’m here for.” She prays for strength in the title track: when the world “turns on me/ Don’t let it turn me”; claims the reality of God’s comforting presence in «God Is Watching You» and «Carry You»; and asks to be lifted from the mire of life’s vanity in «Libera Me».
If it is obvious that Phillips has grown in her thinking and writing about life and faith, it is all the more clear that she has put some artistic muscle into her music. «Beating Heart» and «Expectation» are rock ‘n’ roll, but «Libera Me» has more of an island feel while «River of Love» and «God Is Watching You» (the songs which open and close the album, respectively) are acoustic folk numbers. Overall, ‘The Turning’ has a ’60s-cum-’80s feel that defies easy categories. Suffice it to say, the stark stereo separation, the unique arrangements, and the choice of sounds give these songs a straightforward delivery that, just below the surface, is teeming with warm inventiveness. And there’s a touch of a Bangles feel that makes sense when you see that Tchad Blake, who engineered on their latest, ‘Different Light’, mixes for Burnett.
‘The Turning’ is not an easy, light, “up” album although at times it does have all those qualities. It deals with darker issues than we’re used to from Ms. Phillips in particular and from the Christian marketplace in general. Whether fans of «Your Kindness» and «Psalm 55» or Christian A C radio will continue their support seems unlikely at this point, but the reward for this kind of honesty and creativity may be far greater than continued success in this minor market. For the first time, Leslie Phillips has proven what we always suspected – that she is a major talent. [Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM, April 1987]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-turning/1165999502)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “River Of Love” – 2:43
A2. “Love Is Not Lost” – 3:57
A3. “The Turning” – 3:36
A4. “Libera Me” – 3:09
A5. “Carry You” – 4:18
Side Two
B1. “Beating Heart” – 2:56
B2. “Expectations” – 3:15
B3. “Down” – 3:25
B4. “Answers Don’t Come Easy” – 4:10
B5. “God Is Watching You” – 3:50
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Myrrh Records. Re-issued on CD by Word Entertainment in 2000, featuring new cover artwork.
The May 1987 issue of CCM Magazine featured a cover story on Leslie Phillips.
Leslie “Sam” Phillips with Mark Heard, Live at JC Dobbs, Philadelphia 12.4.1988
CREDITS. Produced by T-Bone Burnett. Recorded at Sound Factory, Sunset Sound and Mad Hatter, Los Angeles, plus Mama Jo’s, North Hollywood, CA, Eagle Audio, Ft. Worth, TX, and Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA. Recorded by Stephen Shelton, Larry Hirsch, Bobby Hickey, Bill Jackson, Steve Ford, Tchad Blake and Judy Klapp, assisted by Mike Kloster and David Knight. Mixed by Tchad Blake. Originally mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Drum Programs by Ralph Forbes, T-Bone Burnett and Leslie Phillips. Art Direction and Design by Michael Hodgson. Photography by Dennis Keeley. Photography Assistant: Pete Caravolais. Hair and Make-Up by Tony Proctor Lambe. Executive Producer: Tom Willett. All songs written by Leslie Phillips except track A4 and B5 co-written with T-Bone Burnett and track A1 written by T-Bone Burnett.
Musicians: Leslie Phillips (Vocals, Synthesizers), John Andrew Schreiner (Synthesizers), T-Bone Burnett (Guitars), Jerry Scheff (Bass on all tracks except track A2), David Miner (Bass on track A2), Mickey Curry (Drums), Alex Acuña (Percussion). Harmonies by Dawn O’Hanlon, Tonio K., T-Bone Burnett, Peter Case, and Leslie Phillips.
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