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This week's featured Christian music is from the lovely Leslie Phillips. Leslie has a voice I would compare to contemporaries like Amy Grant and Belinda Carlisle; with the same amount of expressive charm and emotional sincerity, Leslie Phillips was an extremely popular contemporary Christian artist in her day, especially with young Christians in the United States. Many of her songs still endure the test of time on Christian radio, and she is likely one of the most popular Christian female vocalist of the late 20th Century. Her unique approach to pop music sets her apart from the often drab and generic sound of ultra-conservative CCM, and Leslie herself was never really a conventional Christian.

To be honest, I don't enjoy any of Leslie's work before or after the release of "The Turning," an EP she released in 1987, which received high praise from both Christian and secular reviewers. It is still lauded by fans to this day as one of the better CCM albums of all time. This album contains many uplifting messages, mostly having to do with perseverance, waiting on God's timing, and resisting weakness and hopelessness. One of my favorite tracks from the EP, "Expectations" talks about the pressure Christians can feel to live up to the high ideals of other believers, which traps them in religious bondage. On every song, Leslie speaks from experience, as she had dealt with many family issues leading up to the album's release. I've always thought that music with spiritual themes is most effective when it's spoken from a personal perspective, instead of making generalizations and speaking for other believers.

The EP also includes some very unorthodox instrumentation, and she isn't afraid to embrace quality while also delivering a heartfelt message, something Christian artists sometimes fail to do. Her dynamic vocals earned her the nickname "the Christian Cyndi Lauper" which isn't entirely inconceivable.

But the cheesiness of her nickname isn't the only thing that she probably cringes at nowadays; since shortly after the release of her album, Leslie Phillips actually denounced her label for being a "right-wing propaganda machine," which makes some sense as far as I'm concerned.

The thing is, a lot of Christian media, including some Christian music, is checked and double-checked by Christian record labels to ensure that the messages are in alignment with their ideology. The record label "authority" is mixed with theology and ideals of integrity. Unfortunately, there is a lot of political bias in these record labels toward right-wing agendas, even if the artist doesn't necessarily share their views. Blind acceptance of these agendas is something that does happen in Christian circles, because for many people, the Republican party or the Conservative party is considered the "Christian party," and therefore, no questions are asked and the ballots are submitted. I'm not saying this is always the case, or even usually the case; but it happens. I am of the belief that no one political party represents the ideals of all Christians, and that it's important to make all democratic decisions based on thoughtful consideration. And like faith, political agendas should not be forced, but discussed.

Whether or not this was Leslie's reason for leaving her label ("Expectations" kind of hints at her frustration, I think), she nevertheless retired from Christian music to pursue a secular career as Sam Phillips, whose music I actually have not enjoyed in the least, but she remains popular with critics. I don't know whether or not she still considers herself a Christian. All I know is that the content in her lyrics after "The Turning" make the prevalence of her faith look ambiguous at most; with very few philosophical, introspective or spiritually explorative lyrics. If there was any backlash to her decision from Christians, it was probably short-lived or responded to with maturity, as many of her old fans continue to enjoy her music, and today I haven't come across even a trace of bitterness. As a Christian, it saddens me a bit that Leslie wasn't able to continue sharing her faith through her music, and that she indicated that it was a waste of her time and talent, since she really did a lot of great things on this release.

Anyway, I still am a big fan of the EP, and some of her songs still receive regular circulation on my iPod. The song "Answers Don't Come Easy" is certainly my favorite; with a lovely melody and heartfelt vocals. You can hear the similarity to acts like The Go Gos and Amy Grant, and get a taste of Leslie's unique songwriting skills. Though it sounds like a lower-budget release, its charm and overall quality make it a personal classic.




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