The World from the Side of the Moon [Delxue Edition]

by Phillip Phillips

Overview

Winner of the 11th season of American Idol -- aka, the last season to feature Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as judges -- Phillip Phillips doesn't strictly seem like a pop star, probably because he doesn't sing pop music. Phillips is in thrall to his idol Dave Matthews, patterning every little detail of his style after the jam band icon, borrowing the stuttering acoustic strums and elastic vocal phrasing, letting his folk-rock wander into jazz and smooth soul. So many elements of Phillips' 2012 post-Idol debut The World from the Side of the Moon are taken from early Dave Matthews Band albums it could easily be mistaken for a forgotten record from 1997 or, worse, taken as a parody of DMB's loose-limbed roots pop. Phillips favors both the loverman croon of Matthews ("Wanted Is Love," "A Fool's Dance") and DMB's raucous party tunes ("Get Up Get Down," written in the style of "Ants Marching"), and, it has to be said, he nails his impression, getting each minor inflection precisely right. Consequently, The World from the Side of the Moon kinda sorta delivers upon Phillips' promise: it is a streamlined, smoothed-out Dave Matthews Band album, stripped of any of DMB's idiosyncratic quirks, instrumental virtuosity, and love of the world "belly." If you don't listen closely, it goes down easy, but listening with just a slightly critical ear reveals those similarities as near farcical. Tellingly, the moments that veer away from DMB are those not written by Phillips -- the post-Idol coronation song "Home" and "Gone Gone Gone," both sounding a bit fresher and folkier -- which is an indication that producers Drew Pearson and Gregg Wattenberg knew what it would take to sell this Matthews mash note to a wider audience. [A Deluxe Edition included three bonus live tracks.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/15/2013
Label:	Interscope
UPC:	0602537580835
Rank:	52737

Tracks

1. Man on the Moon
2. Home
3. Gone, Gone, Gone
4. Hold On
5. Tell Me a Story
6. Get Up Get Down
7. Where We Came From
8. Drive Me
9. Wanted is Love
10. Can't Go Wrong
11. A Fool's Dance
12. So Easy
13. Gone, Gone, Gone
14. Man on the Moon
15. Where We Came From

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Phillip Phillips   Primary Artist,Guitar
Andy Snitzer   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Lenny Skolnik   Vocals (Background),Keyboards
Ben Neil   Guitar
Carrie Brown   Vocals (Background)
Fred Williams Jr.   Saxophone
Ian Driscoll   Vocals (Background)
Katie Kresnek   Violin
Michael Lauri   Vocals (Background)
Jack Daley   Bass
Jim Hynes   Trumpet
Michael Davis   Trombone
Todd Clark   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Rachel Golub   Violin
Derek Fuhrmann   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Tony Kadleck   Trumpet
Shawn Pelton   Drums,Percussion
Gunnar Olsen   Drums
Dallin Applebaum   Vocals (Background)
Dave Eggar   Cello,Soloist

Technical Credits

Christine Wolff   Publicity
Susan Hilderley   Music Business Affairs
Kevin Feller   Engineer
Lenny Skolnik   Pro-Tools,Sound Design
Myles Lewis   A&R
Masooma Ali   Project Coordinator
Phillip Phillips   Composer,Liner Notes
Kyle VandeKerkhoff   Engineer
Chuck Palmer   String Engineer,String Arrangements
Ben Neil   Composer
Pete Salis   Composer
Ian Driscoll   Pro-Tools
Michael Lauri   Pro-Tools
Wrabel   Composer
Gregg Wattenberg   Producer,Composer
Andy Snitzer   Horn Arrangements
Les Scurry   Additional Production
Joe Zook   Mixing
Pete Amato   Composer
Mark Endert   Mixing
Jens Lissat   Composer
Ramon Zenker   Composer
Todd Clark   Composer,Sound Design,Additional Production
Brad Gilderman   Mixing,Engineer
Derek Fuhrmann   Composer,Sound Design,Additional Production
Inusa Dawuda   Composer
Chris Isaak   Composer
Chris Shaw   Engineer
David Ryan Harris   Composer
Phil Kaffel   Mixing
Reimer   Composer
Patricia Sullivan Fourstar   Mastering
Drew Pearson   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Stephen Wrabel   Composer
Brett Radin   Management
Zenker   Composer
Larry Jackson   A&R
Stephanie Hsu   Creative Art
Ginger Ramsey   Marketing
Marco Ruiz   Engineer
Doug Johnson   Mixing Assistant
Brianne Widaman   Project Coordinator
John Alicastro   Pro-Tools
Greg Holden   Composer
Lissat   Composer
Jon Green   Composer
Iain Pirie   A&R
Fiona Dearing   Marketing
Jeremy Sklarsky   String Engineer
Dave Eggar   String Arrangements
Jason Morey   Management
Stefan Reimer   Composer
Nick Walker   Photography
Jose Alcantar   Vocal Engineer
Stephen Sletten   Assistant