Phil Collins: The Singles

There is a positive certainty that Phil Collins will not be forgotten. Anyone familiar with the songs realized by the man, are ones that still resonate in memory and strike a chord to this day. Here's just a small sampling of lyrics that are instilled in the minds of a generation. "Oh, think twice. It's just another day for you in paradise" or "Take, take me home... because I don't remember" and "Billy! Billy, don't you lose my number." The music to those lyrics and his voice pop into gear, when you recollect. These few lyrics just scratch the surface of his skillful way in delivering a song and his powerful punch of impact on vocals.

What appealed to me then and still does is his scope of talent which paints a wide stroke; in range of feelings and complicated emotions. Love, anger, despair, joy and sadness that even manages to address social issues such as the plight of the homeless, can be found in his catalog of music. Listen to "Another Day in Paradise" and think twice while counting your blessings at the same time. His perspective is spot-on. Hear "Separate Lives," his duet with Marilyn Martin and be surprised at how this song catches you by the throat and can still conjure up tears after all these years.

To coincide with the recent release of his autobiography, "Not Dead Yet," Collins has released a three-disc set simply titled "The Singles." Spanning his most prolific period over the decade of the 1980s, 45 songs are present for this collection. A cavalcade of Collins, to say the least. Leaving the spandex and the big hair of this era behind, his songs still continue to reverberate in good fashion.

Sure, there are his songs of simple pop fun such as "Sussudio" or "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Two Hearts." Whether he wrote the song or covered a classic, Phil Collins instilled an energy to it, uniquely his own as a solo artist. Collins can also cut the heart in half with his poison pen of bitterness and anger. Where else would the songs "In the Air Tonight" or "Do You Remember" crash in on the emotions like an iceberg? Collins has earned all the accolades and awards as a singer/songwriter and master class drummer and musician. It's very clear that Phil Collins and "The Singles" are creatively still a vibrant experience to hear.

"The Singles"
Phil Collins
Atlantic Records
$16.99