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When we first heard Phil Keaggy play guitar in Vancouver in the early 70s, he had joined the classic Jesus rock band Love Song as lead guitarist. We knew all the Love Song lead solos by heart by then, but when we heard Keaggy play, we had to sit up and watch closely. Here was something melodic, something fluent, which we hadn't heard from a guitar before.
In the years since then, Phil Keaggy has made many recordings of his own to express his solid Christian commitment. On Play Through Me, for example, Keaggy dedicated his considerable talents exclusively to God as instruments for His use.
Along with recordings of catchy pop/rock songs, Keaggy began a few years ago to make recordings of acoustic guitar music. Beyond Nature is his finest instrumental recording to date. Its sounds are based on folk, traditional and classical music.
Beyond Nature starts out with a strong musical theme in "In the Light of Common Day". This and many other tunes seem to begin with a friendly greeting, as if to say, "Hi there! Can I tell you something interesting?" Each tune invites the listener into a few moments of meaningful melody.
Some of these tunes have such depth that they seem to communicate short stories without using words. "Brother Jack" and "As Warm as Tears" are good examples of how Keaggy's guitar tells its tales slowly and gently, with confident, deliberate artistry. On "As Warm as Tears" the guitar quietly repeats one particularly evocative phrase over and over, as if to hear it only once is not enough to appreciate its wonder. It's not difficult to relax and let the imagination wander into a very devotional space.
The apparent simplicity of the songs can be deceptive, however. On "Addison's Walk" Keaggy begins to draw out ringing sounds from the guitar which show an unusual mastery of the instrument. He does something similar on "Fare Thee Well" and "Fragile Forest". Yet there's never any sense in these songs of "See what I can do. See how fast I can play." Strings and woodwinds are added occasionally to celebrate the melodies, and the oboe is especially effective on "Addison's Walk" and "Brother Jack". The final song on the CD includes cricket chirps and other night sounds.
In the CD notes, Keaggy thanks C.S. Lewis (to whom he gives exquisite tribute in "Brother Jack") and also shows how his CD title comes from a talk Lewis once gave. Here again Keaggy shows a remarkable sense of quality. Behind the wordless sounds of his guitar is a depth of faith and careful thought. He borrows from Lewis the truth that appreciation and thankfulness for nature is meant by God to help people through it into Someone more important beyond nature, "into that splendour which she fitfully reflects".
That, too, is a refreshing sound among the idolatrous calls for nature worship which we hear around us in society today.
Gordon Nickel is an instructor at Bethany Bible Institute in Hepburn, Sask.
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