Released last year, ‘The Answers’ is an album, that brings raw honesty, some humor, advice, and a beautiful listening experience. Written and composed by Phil Headway, it is the kind of album you’ll find playing in your neighborhood bar after work hours, sharing drinks and comradery with strangers who begin to feel like friends.
Phil Headway, is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose calling has been music since a very young age. Drawing from genres like classic rock, the artist brings in a conversational and humane lyricism to his tracks. His songs feel like you are coming home to a friend, the production also is warm and organic, further amplifying the homely and earthy essence.
The album starts with ‘Cannies of Truth’. As soon as the track starts to play, there is a sense of relaxation in the air- is the kind of track that is gonna drop truth bombs in the most casual way possible. The song feels like its your cool uncle that you admire- the one who always hides advises inside jokes. Deeply narrative, the song holds a confessional energy. The vocals feel like its going through catharsis and it has made up its heart to take you along.
The next track holds the same name as the album, called ‘The Answers’. It opens bright and loud, and soon mellows down to make space for the vocals. Again, beautifully confessional, the song feels like a personal journal entry by someone who has spent some time doing some existential thinking. The guitars and the harmonica, bring in the country energy, the vocals make you feel like someone is telling you the things you already have thought about, making you feel instantly connected.
‘Goo Goo Girl’ is the kind of track that lifts the stone, the heaviness that you feel in your chest, and holds your hand in the moments you wish you want to be understood. The wisdom feels like your favorite adult is giving you head pats and your favorite candy.
‘An Envious Tree’ begins beautifully, making you feel like you are in the American Countryside. ‘When I Try’ starts out with the harmonica, and both these tracks are warm and beautifully organic, with lyrics that feel like stories inspired by real life. The vocals are fun and almost jolly, and you know the artist is singing with a smile on his face, because he is radiating his love and passion through the music.
‘Here on the Other Side’ gets a little serious, with a melancholy seeping more than usual. Still existential, the track is significantly shifts the tone of the album. The electric guitar harmonizes with the vocals to form a melody that stays with you. You’ll keep searching for this one even after the album finishes playing.
‘The Crossing of the Three Paths’ brings in a bolder sound, more powerful vocals and even more vivid imagery. This is the kind of track that is here to speak in the spotlight, the kind that has a message. ‘I Met This Girl’ transitions into a romance, the small town, sweep you off your feet kind. The tune is playful, and has this fresh burst of youthful energy, the kind of passion you feel when in young love.
‘The Greater the Hope’ is the last track in the album, the last jigsaw puzzle that completes the whole picture. A little theatrical, he brings in knowledge in a way that anyone can understand. ‘The better the days The greater the hope…’ is the kind of writing that this album leaves you with. It leaves you with an impression, and makes you want more of the witty and stunning worlds that the artist creates in about 30 minutes.
It’s an album that reinvents itself wit every repeated listen, so you should keep coming back to it, because hearing it once isn’t enough. You can listen to the album ‘The Answers’ by Phil Headway on popular platforms like Spotify.
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