Monday, June 19, 2006

Concert Review: Phillip Tubbs

By Sandra Li

Photo by Sandra Li

Phillip Tubbs

DALLAS — As I found out, Phillip Tubbs is a reserved man off stage. However, when you hear him perform, his songs burst with soul and Gospel flavor. Controversial and Christian-oriented in his lyrics, he shines like a light and spreads the good Word while keeping his subject matter down to earth. With the twang of country and a touch of soul, his songs are sweetly melodic in the most modest way. Not glossy like most mainstream pop musicians, he talks about some serious subject matter while serving it in a laid back atmosphere that he instantly creates with his presence. Don’t expect a Ryan Cabrera; although, he can write lyrics like one. However, like Ryan, he spent his youth in Texas. He’s a native from El Paso where he claims to be friends with bands like The Royalty and The Night of the Wrecking Ball.

Friday night, his Dallas tour stop was at White Rock Coffee. The house felt tight, comfortable, and cozy while the lights dimmed low. As you can expect, Phillip Tubbs was the perfect fit for the ambience. His act caught the eye of every audience member. It didn’t make a difference to him whether he was playing for his trusted companions or for us, a handful of complete strangers. He got us clapping along and up on our feet. For this one man show, there was never a boring moment because he kept us constantly entertained. Just order a cup of good coffee, sit back, and let his music flow.

Photo by Sandra Li

Phillip Tubbs

He started his performance with the song “I Love You”, following “When I Come Home”, “Confidence”, and “Wretched Man”. The first three love songs were classics not to be missed. As a result, any young woman would appreciate being a part of his crowd. A suspected closet romantic, this man can surely knock the girls off their chairs, and make them spill their coffee while not appearing ostentatious or obvious. The next song, “Wretched Man”, reminded me of my youth group’s Friday night worship led by the band. He talked about righteousness and faith, which shouldn’t be a surprise to us since he made a career singing and performing at his local church. According to this inspirational musician, “Christ is in a lot of my songs, some are blatant and some just mention God here and there.” Although his last song, “The King” was of a solemn nature that about a girl running away from her father, his sense of humor won us over and got the crowd clapping along with the beat. As a finishing touch, he made a hilarious tribute to Natasha Bedingfield with “These Words” and had the audience grooving. Wanting to hear more, I bought the first album, which includes, “The King”. It has another great set of songs within the same genre and this time you’ll get to experience his glowing voice in comfort of your own home. His next CD will be released soon with a new set of moving lyrics, so check out his website and quickly send a request. He’s creative with his story telling and can act like himself or as someone else completely different. I won’t be surprised if in the future he has an equally successful second tour.

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