'Carnival of Clowns' by Phil and John

Phil and John were a reasonably well regarded Christian duo who released a series of albums towards the end of the eighties and through the beginning of the nineties. They make two appearances in my collection with their album ‘Providence’, and this one, though to be honest, I couldn’t have remembered a single one of their songs before listening to this again over the last few days.

They were often described as a sort of Christian Simon and Garfunkel, and though it’s a fairly lazy comparison, it’s hard to avoid. This album swings between gentle acoustic songs and more upbeat folk-tinged pop-rock. All in all, it’s a good listen – I’ve enjoyed it more than I expected to. One or two tracks are forgettable, but there’s a good collection of vocal harmonies on display, and the tone is varied enough to keep you interested. Some of the arrangements and production choices are showing their age, but this is an album almost twenty years old, so it’s of its time – a few too many bland backing vocals are the worst feature. Having said that, there’s a pleasant lack of pretension here, and a sense that the two artists are creating an album they’re very comfortable with. I can’t imagine listening to it a great deal in the normal course of things, but it may well come out for a spin every now and again.