Phil Collins TESTIFY

Personnel: Phil Collins (vocals, arranger, various instruments); Daryl Stuermer, Tim Pierce (guitar); Eric Nigler (Uilleann pipes); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards); Paul Bushnel (bass); Jame Sanger (programming).Recorded between 2000 & 2002.Phil Collins took a long time to deliver Testify, his first record since redemptive post-divorce album Dance into the Light. On that 1996 affair, he was open to all the possibilities that may arrive during this new act and, accordingly, the album felt expansive. He dabbled with new sounds, perhaps excessively so, but it helped mirror his newfound freedom. In contrast, Testify feels a bit hemmed in, the sound of a singer/songwriter marching through the drudgery of life. This isn't to say that Testify is underpinned with despair -- it certainly lacks the melancholy undertow of Both Sides, one of his moodiest and best records -- but rather it feels diligent, with Collins intent on hitting all of his preordained marks. He writes songs about love gained