After "Dance Into The Light" was released, I'm sure all of us feared the worst: That Phil Collins had lost his touch. Fortunately we were all proved wrong when Tarzan was released, and showed us just how much talent Phil still had, and Testify is no different.

On this album, Phil has returned to a more grassroots approach to his music. The whole album has a decidedly dark feel to it, the kind we havent seen since But Seriously, or even Hello I Must Be Going. To casual fans, it must sound hard to believe, since DITL is still fresh in our minds (And Cant Stop Loving You isn't very dark). BUT, once you get a listen to the rest of the album, I think you'll be surprised at what you hear....

The most agressive track, by far, is The Least You Can Do, Phil actually starts yelling towards the end of the song. It's almost as if this track were taken directly from "Hello, I Must Be Going!", it's old Phil back again! Incidentally, many people say this is their favourite song on Testify.

Then there's Driving Me Crazy, which is incredibly upbeat, and by far the most hip thing Phil has ever done. A fantastic and agressive track that would make a fantastic single.

And then there's Wake Up Call. Give this song a few listens and it becomes amazing, its got the best beat to it, very fast paced and VERY experimental. Lots of digital effects going on as well. I great way to open up the album. I get goosebumps every time that I hear the intro to this song as well. The best thing hes done for a long, long time.

There's some other songs that are agressive musically, but arent angry songs. Testify is a powerful love song, fit to be a single, Cant Stop Loving You is an extremely powerful track which is already at the top of the AC chart, It's Not Too Late has those breathtaking, crashing drums toward the end, and This Love This Heart has a very "Classic Phil" sound to it. In fact, the whole album feels like "Face Value" lots of emotional, and powerful songs, yet all of them remain dark.

Is this album experimental? Absolutely. In every way. Lots of the music has been done digitally, or remixed through use of a computer to get some amazing sound effects. Great drumming on most of the tracks, some powerful songs scattered throughout the album, and a distinctly DARK feel to the whole thing. Swing Low actually references the legendary "In The Air Tonight" in the lyrics, and most of the tracks have fresh, very modern sounding intros. Love songs? Yes, there are a ton of love songs on here, but theres a point to that.

"Testify" is meant to be a collection of songs relating to the new life Phil is leading. His happiness with Orianne, his child, and his newfound use of computers. Thus the themes, most of them, tend to relate to his marriage situation now. But despite being ballads, most of them have an edge to them, and remain curiously dark in feel. This is no Dance Into The Light, for sure!

Even for a huge fan like myself, Testify was a disappointment on the first listen. However, the more I played it, the more I began to love it. It took about 3 or 4 listens, but eventually I "got it." I have a message for those who believe that Phil Collins has lost it: Give the album a few more listens, and you might change your mind. This is certainly an album which grows on you quickly, if given the chance, and I'm afraid too many people haven't given it the fair chance it deserves.

So, listen with an open mind, and an open heart, and you too will find that Testify is the best thing he's done since But Seriously. And that says alot.

Welcome back, Phil. We missed ya. :)

NO one- and I mean NO ONE- can tell you what is good music and what isn't....it depends on your mood, your taste, your understanding of music....I read both good reviews and bad reviews and then got the cd....was it good music??? for me...yes...very good...did I expect it to sound like the old phil collins? ofcourse not...we don't always want the same old music....in my opinion THIS IS A GOOD QUALITY music cd and I loved it....don't let people make up your mind for you....go listen to it yourself and then decide.

I'd like to thank the reviewer for the heads up that this CD may be copy protected. I do note however that he is from the UK and the US version may be different. I have a hookup from my PC through my stereo and converted MP3's are my preferred way of storing and using my music.

Without getting into the controversy over copy protection in general (it [is unsatisfactory]), I think that we as consumers at least have the right to this information before buying a CD. If they choose to copy-protect, we should be able to choose not to buy. I won't buy this CD online because of this question, however I will check it out at [at another retail location] and quiz the clerks. I'll decide on that basis if they seem to know what they're talking about.

One thing for sure - I will never buy a CD I know to be copy-protected.

As a huge PC/Genesis fan (in high school I owned nothing *but* Genesis and Phil Collins albums!), I was pretty excited when I saw that PC had released a new album, so I snatched it up. I wasn't too thrilled with "Dance" but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. But disppointment was all that awaited me.

As mentioned by other reviewers, the music is generic, contains very little lyrical "grit" and is overly synthesized. One of the biggest reasons I used to enjoy PC's music was for the sheer power in his drumming. The man used to play "with his heart on his sleeve" but it seems that Phil thinks that "the old days are gone, and they're better left alone."

I know we all mellow-out a bit as we get older, but this is ridiculous. The only reason I'm not throwing this CD away is because I paid good money for it. If you grew-up listening to Phil Collins through the late 70's (in Genesis) and early 80's (when he went solo), you'll probably want to bypass this one.

After the disappointing "Dance Into The Light" Phil returns after six years with a pretty good recording. There are catchy melodies and intelligent lyrics reminiscent of his 80's work. This self-produced effort covers love--but not really in a bland way. It really seems as if Collins is content with where he is in his marriage. You can hear it in the title song "Testify", and you can hear it even more in the moving ballads "Come With Me" and "You Touch My Heart". Collins sounds sincere for the first time since 1993's "Both Sides". He tackles his usual staples--social consciousness in "Wake Up Call" and "Don't Get Me Started", giddy love songs like "Can't Stop Loving You" and "Driving Me Crazy" and the dissolution of a relationship in "The Least You Can Do". There's also the opportunity to change yourself with "It's Not Too Late" and "Thru My Eyes". Overall, this is a pretty satisfying adult contemporary offering. Collins no longer sounds angry "In The Air Tonight", "I Don't Care Anymore", and no longer sounds depressed "Another Day In Paradise", "Everyday", and doesn't sound falsely positive "Dance Into The Light". This is a step in the right direction though not a "No Jacket Required" or "Both Sides". Collins fans should be satisfied if you're not looking for old Genesis or old Collins.