The Turning (album)

The Turning
Studio album by
Leslie Phillips
Released1987
Studio
GenreCCM, Christian rock, alternative folk
LabelMyrrh/Word Records, DCC Compact Classics
ProducerT Bone Burnett
Leslie Phillips chronology
Black and White in a Grey World
(1985) 		The Turning
(1987) 		Recollection
(1987)
Alternative cover
The 1998 DCC re-release
The 1998 DCC re-release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The Turning is an album by Leslie Phillips that was released by Myrrh in 1987 and re-released in 1997 under the name Sam Phillips.

This album marks the first time Phillips worked with producer T Bone Burnett. The two married soon after the release of this album, and Burnett would go on to produce more albums for the singer. The Turning stands out as a turning point in Phillips' career as a singer and songwriter; on one side, the cheerful, upbeat pop-rock albums that she recorded in the early 1980s, and, on the other, the quirky 60's music influenced rock and folk albums, with a much darker and more poetic tone lyrically.

This album was listed at No. 8 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.[2]The Turning peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Top Inspirational Albums chart.[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Leslie Phillips except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."River of Love"T Bone Burnett2:46
2."Love Is Not Lost" 4:02
3."The Turning" 3:38
4."Libera Me"T Bone Burnett, Sam Phillips3:12
5."Carry You" 4:23
6."Beating Heart" 2:57
7."Expectations" 3:19
8."Down" 3:29
9."Answers Don't Come Easy" 4:11
10."God Is Watching You"T Bone Burnett, Sam Phillips3:48

Personnel

  • Leslie Phillips – vocals, harmony vocals, synthesizers, drum programming
  • John Andrew Schreiner – synthesizers
  • T Bone Burnett – guitars, drum programming, harmony vocals
  • Jerry Scheff – bass (1, 3-10)
  • David Miner – bass (2)
  • Mickey Curry – drums
  • Ralph Forbes – drum programming
  • Alex Acuña – percussion
  • Peter Case – harmony vocals
  • Tonio K – harmony vocals
  • Dawn O'Hanlon – harmony vocals

Production

  • T Bone Burnett – producer
  • Tom Willet – executive producer
  • Tchad Blake – recording, mixing
  • Steven Ford – recording
  • Larry Hirsch – recording
  • Bill Jackson – recording
  • Stephen Shelton – recording
  • Mike Kloster – recording assistant
  • David Knights – recording assistant
  • Brian Gardner – original mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Steve Hoffman – remastering (1998 release)
  • Michael Hodgson – art direction, design
  • Dennis Keeley – photography
  • Pete Caravolais – photography assistant
  • Tony Proctor Lambe – hair stylist, make-up artist

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
US Top Inspirational Albums (Billboard)[3] 21

Radio singles

Year Singles Peak positions
CCM AC[4] CCM CHR[5]
1987 "Libera Me" 9 2
1987 "Love Is Not Lost" — 14
1987 "Answers Don't Come Easy" 27 11

References

  1. ^ "The Turning - Sam Phillips - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  2. ^ Hefner, April; Granger, Greg (January 15, 2001). CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums In Christian Music. Harvest House. p. 41–43. ISBN 0736902813.
  3. ^ a b "Inspirational LPs" (PDF). Billboard. June 27, 1987. p. 49.
  4. ^ Brothers, Jeffrey Lee, ed. (2003). CCM Hot Hits: AC Charts 1978 - 2001. AuthorHouse. p. 179. ISBN 1-4107-3294-0.
  5. ^ Brothers, Jeffrey Lee, ed. (1999). CCM Hot Hits: Christian Hit Radio - 20 Years of Charts, Artist Bios and More. CCM Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-8230-7718-7.