Testify (Phil Collins album)

Testify was crafted over a two-year period at Collins' home in Switzerland and was recorded in France and Los Angeles. Most of the album's twelve tracks are derived from demos Collins made in his bedroom studio and finished off with the help of producers Rob Cavallo and James Sanger, engineer Allen Sides, guitarist Tim Pierce, and bassist Paul Bushnell. Collins worked extensively with computers during production, work that can be seen throughout the album. After Collins made Dance into the Light without any drum machine, he returned to the device for Testify.^[6]

The album begins with an up-tempo "Wake Up Call". It was based on a 16-bar doodle Collins wrote, and only began to formalise when he brought it into studio. The title track, the longest and most complex sounding song on the album, is according to Collins "one of the most direct and most personal love songs I have ever written". Another up-tempo song, "Don't Get Me Started" follows a tradition of critical statements about politics and society Collins began with "That's Just the Way It Is", "Another Day in Paradise", and "Both Sides of the Story" in his previous albums and songs such as "Tell Me Why" with Genesis.^[6]

The soulful "It's Not Too Late" refers to lost faith in dreams – "It's never too late to make your dreams come true. We all should try it". "Driving Me Crazy" is another upbeat track. Collins said the song is about the narrow path between love and dangerous obsession.^[6]

Songs such as the aforementioned "Testify" and "This Love This Heart" were inspired by Collins' then-wife, Orianne, while their first child, Nicholas, was the main inspiration for tracks "Come with Me" and "Swing Low", and "You Touch My Heart". "Come with Me" was originally a lullaby Collins sang to his daughter Lily when she was a baby when on tour in 1990, Seriously Live! and the lyrics were developed when Nicholas was born.^[6]

Collins collaborated with his longtime associate Daryl Stuermer for "The Least You Can Do", Stuermer providing the music and lead guitar and Collins the lyrics and arrangement. Stuermer also plays guitar on the next track, "Can't Stop Loving You", a cover of Leo Sayer's 1978 country hit. Collins heard the song on the radio and brought a modern feel to the country song. "I heard Leo Sayer's version of 'Can’t Stop Loving You' on vacation and I was impressed by the fantastic melody. I have attempted to breathe new life into this song and change its feel." It was the first single off the album, hitting No. 1 in the Adult Contemporary Charts. The album ends with "Thru My Eyes" and "You Touch My Heart", another song inspired by his son. ("Thru My Eyes" is not to be confused with "Look Through My Eyes", a song recorded by Collins for the Brother Bear soundtrack in 2003).^[6]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	34/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Blender	[9]
E!	C[10]
Mojo	[11]
New York Post	[12]
Q	[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]
Uncut	2/10[15]
USA Today	[16]

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The album received generally mixed to negative reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 34, based on 7 reviews, making it the worst-reviewed album of 2002.^[7] New York Post critic Dan Aquilante praised Testify as one of Collins' best efforts since 1993's Both Sides. He highlighted the title track for its "believable lyrics" and Collins' abilities as a ballad writer, while calling "Driving Me Crazy" a near-hit. However, he noted that the album lacked a clear-cut hit single and contained "a few clinkers."^[12] Rolling Stone described the album as a collection of "laid-back, better-than-average adult-contempo fare," highlighting its "subtle, atmospheric production" as an improvement over the slickness of Collins' 1980s work.^[14] Billboard praised Testify for its "well-crafted, pop/rock tunes" and "warm familiarity," noting that Collins avoids trend-chasing in favor of his established style. The magazine highlighted the album's exploration of family life and aging, while calling "Can't Stop Loving You" a "sticky-sweet single."^[17]

Other critics were less favorable. AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the album as a restrained adult contemporary album that felt "stiff, sequenced, and safe." He noted that Collins had abandoned some of his earlier experimentation and trademark drums in favor of a mellow sound that "relies on mood, not melody." While he found the album "pleasurable enough as background music," he ultimately considered it "a little listless."^[8] E! gave Testify a grade of C, criticizing its reliance on "synthesized rhythms and paper-thin arrangements" rather than the "whopping melodies" of Collins' earlier hits. It ultimately described the album as a "largely boring affair" and jokingly suggested a Genesis reunion.^[10] PopMatters critic Evan Sawdey criticized Testify as "deliberate nostalgia-driven pablum," arguing that it lacked cultural relevance and was "more of a curiosity than an album proper." He praised "Swing Low" for introducing hip-hop-influenced elements to Collins' sound, but concluded that even devoted fans would struggle to argue for the album's merits.^[18] Blender similarly found "little... to compare with either the work of his Genesis heyday or his still heartbreaking 1981 solo debut."^[9]

Testify achieved moderate commercial success internationally, with its strongest performances in Continental Europe. In the United States, it peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard 200, the lowest peak among Collins' seven solo studio albums at the time.^[19] In the United Kingdom, it reached number 15, becoming his only solo album not to enter the top five on the UK Albums Chart.^[20] The album performed considerably better in several European markets, reaching the top five in Austria,^[21] Belgium,^[22] Germany,^[23] the Netherlands,^[24] Sweden,^[25] and Switzerland.^[26] In France, it peaked at number two for three weeks in early 2003 and became Collins' best-selling album there since ...But Seriously.^[27] Elsewhere, it peaked at number 14 in Norway,^[28] number 16 in Italy,^[29] and number 10 in Spain.^[30] In Australia, the album reached number 96 on the ARIA Albums Chart.^[31] Testify was certified platinum or higher in several European markets, including double platinum in France,^[32] triple gold in Germany,^[33] and platinum in the Netherlands,^[34] Switzerland,^[35] and across Europe.^[36] It was also certified gold in Austria,^[37] Belgium,^[38] Spain,^[39] Sweden,^[40] and the United Kingdom.^[41]

The lead single from the album, "Can't Stop Loving You", had success on the Adult Contemporary charts and minor airplay overall. The single peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard charts while hitting No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts. Other singles, "Wake Up Call", "Come with Me" and "The Least You Can Do" also enjoyed their most success on the Adult Contemporary chart. Collins said at the time that this was to be his last studio album, but has since recorded a new album entitled Going Back, a collection of covers of Motown and other soul songs, which was released on 13 September 2010. The end of his 2011 hiatus in 2015 made another album seem possible,^[42] but in 2025 Collins said he was "not hungry" enough to make more music due to his ongoing health issues.^[43]

• "Hey Now Sunshine"
• "Tears of a Clown" (Re-recorded for Going Back in 2010)

• The Official Phil Collins Website
• Testify at Metacritic