Fair Trade Services
Release Date: April 19th 2024
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Phil Wickham – I Believe – Hometown Version (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- I Believe (Hometown Version)
- Sunday is Coming (Hometown Version)
- Hometown
- The Jesus Way (Hometown Version)
- This is Our God (Hometown Version)
- Relationship (Hometown Version)
- Your Name is Holy (Hometown Version)
- Wait (Hometown Version)
- Psalm 23 (Hometown Version)
- Isn’t He Good (Hometown Version)
- 100% (Hometown Version)
- Creator (Hometown Version)
- Praise The Lord (Hometown Version)
- Back to Life (Hometown Version)
Phil Wickham has always been one of my favourite worship artists, over the past decade or so. Since 2003 when he unveiled his debut album Give You the World, Phil has given to us powerful singles after powerful singles- ‘Grace’, ‘Divine Romance’, ‘After Your Heart’, ‘Safe’, ‘I’ll Always Love You’, ‘At Your Name’, ‘This is Amazing Grace’, ‘Glory’, ‘Living Hope’, ‘My All In All’, ‘Your Love Awakens Me’ and ‘Till I Found You’, to name a few. In a general sense, Phil has always had a knack at giving to us, great albums, period. From albums like his most recent full length studio album, 2023’s I Believe (alongside 2021’s Hymn of Heaven and 2022’s Hymn of Heaven (Acoustic), an acoustic re-recording of Phil’s powerful 2021 album), to the album that got me into the fandom, Response, as well as his chart-topping The Ascension and 2018’s Living Hope, Phil’s powerful and distinct voice cuts through all the cookie-cutter CCM that seems to seep through; and brings it home to be a reminder that great music artists still exist within the realms of CCM. Phil’s been an artist that we have covered heavily on our site, and most recently, we reviewed his most recent studio album I Believe, as well as his most recent Christmas single, ‘Manger Throne’. Now in April, and just a few weeks after Easter, we see Phil unveil something new, fresh, exciting, powerful and enjoyable- Phil’s ‘new’ album I Believe (Hometown Version), a complete re-recording of his 2023 album I Believe, delivered in a stripped-down acoustical arrangement, similar to how the 2022 album Hymn of Heaven Acoustic was, when compared to its 2021 original.
Nothing much can be said specifically about this album (everything that can be said about I Believe: Hometown Version can be seen in my review of Phil’s official studio album I Believe), and aside from Phil’s new song ‘Hometown’ (which is about seeing God’s beauty, wonder, artistry and fingerprints, all throughout the persona’s hometown, in everyday life and not necessarily in the big, grandiose things, but in the everyday, overlooked moments of regularity), the rest of the other thirteen tracks are acoustic renditions of their 2023 studio counterparts. Personally, for me, I feel as though the reflective nature of the songs are border ‘lullaby-ish’, thus making me unfortunately and unintentionally, feel sleepy by the end of track 14 (not Phil’s initial intention, but still a by-product of this album, nonetheless). The 2023 album I Believe is somewhat better, but this is still a new, unique, and different way to reimagine these songs. Well done Phil for this emotive, acoustical musical journey. While at this stage, I feel as though these songs are too chill and acoustic, maybe that could change in the future. Maybe that will change. Only time will tell.
3 songs to listen to: Sunday is Coming (Hometown Version), Creator (Hometown Version), Hometown
Score: 4.5/5
RIYL: Chris Tomlin, TAYA, Katy Nichole, Rend Collective, Matt Maher