Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

We all seek the sense of foresight, a possibility of fortune and the hope that once in a while we may enjoy being held by Providence tightly, that she may whisper in to our ears, “That the journey from somewhere like Rhode Island to the historic passion of Nashville will come for you, just hold on.”

To bear a poetic name, to show the place that you hail from in the moments of a passing phrase, that is the sensation of being grounded enough to be honest with yourself that what you write, what you put down in an artistic form must hold the idea of providence open to others; fortune of geography perhaps but it is one that Phil Madeira arguably understands that throughout his career, he must abide by, that to have a sacred, even hallowed calling, is by design somewhere and it is one that captured with great devotion in the album Providence.

To have the songs on the album blessed with the piano and vocal of Phil Madeira is enjoy a special breed of destiny, to be allowed the external influence of Chris Donahue on upright bass and Brian Owings on drums, that is fate calling out the brave and the beautiful to your corner; to then add the musicianship of Roland Barber, Dana Colley, James Hollihan Jr., Will Kimbrough, David Mansfield, Doug Mosher, John Paul Painter and John Scofield then that is Providence given its absolute purpose and the plan fulfilled.

Whether in songs such as A Rhode Island Yankee on Jefferson Davis Court, Dearest Companion, Barrington, Crescent Park, Native Son or the finale of Gothenburg, Phil Madeira opens his New England heart to its fullest, he lets the pulse be taken and the result is outstanding, cool, deep and meaningful; it has the range of a battle, the sincerity of peace, all within its soul and it is one that will have Mr. Madeira’s fans forever grateful.

An album that showcases some truly incredible talent, that is both welcome and beautifully endearing, Phil Madeira’s Providence is a sense of the divine.

Ian D. Hall