Phil Joseph: “Our Father’s Land (Promise Land)” – smooth reggae
“Our Father’s Land (Promise Land)” is a track by Phil Joseph, produced by Gussy Ranks and recorded at Kettle Drum Studio by Gussy Ranks. Phil Joseph has shown with this track that he’s not only a man with inspiration but also a man with vision. The song will touch you in more ways than one. Phil combines his soulful and sensitive voice with both lyrics of love and spiritual consciousness to provide his listeners with pure excellence.
Here you won’t find the high tempo sounds of dancehall-styled reggae, instead Phil, and Gussy Ranks behind the boards, deliver a more soothing sound consisting of rolling bass lines accompanied by hypnotic percussion, clean crisp horns, and jangly guitar sounds, all supported by sweet and rich layered harmonies.
The recurring theme of this track is the positive nature of the lyrics. This was a conscious decision and a mature response obviously borne from an extended spiritual reflection, Phil Joseph certainly takes the high road with his lyrics to both soothe and uplift listener’s souls.
As a singular effort, I believe that “Our Father’s Land (Promise Land)” is a very good song and reflects very well on Phil Joseph’s status as an artist and maturity as a man. It has the same transcendental nature of those classic reggae hits from the past which are tracks that still command heavy rotation wherever reggae music is played.
Phil is going through a spiritual and emotional journey on this record, and he effectively carries the listener with him throughout. It may be that Phil’s clever integration of pop-influenced hooks with the roots reggae elements are what strongly propels this new release, and it works marvelously.
What Phil Joseph has done with “Our Father’s Land (Promise Land)” though, is create a strong and relevant track without the usual gimmicks of guest appearances, fancy videos, and extensive hype. Instead he has given us more than most artists do in a lifetime. He has given us his heart, his mind, and his vision for a new dawn.
