The World from the Side of the Moon

Humble and unassuming, Georgia’s Phillip Phillips won over the American Idol viewing public in its twelfth season with his soft yet strong vocals. The World from the Side of the Moon is a well-balanced and carefully sequenced debut album, finely calibrated to convey rising emotion and energy. Like his extremely popular Mumford & Sons-like hit single “Home,” many of the tracks flaunt Phillips fast and tricky acoustic guitar fretwork, which closely approximates the sound of a banjo. While “Gone Gone Gone,” a touching ballad about commitment is destined for first wedding dances everywhere, “Get Up Get Down” and “Drive” show the rock ‘n’ roll side to this mild-mannered singer/songwriter.