Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

When the brother sister duo Larue released their first single in 1999, Phillip was just 17 years old. Musically and spiritually, he and his sister did a lot of their growing up in public, creating infectious spiritual pop music before they both married and settled on opposite coasts of the USA. Phillip has spent recent years writing songs for others, believing that his own musical career was over until BEC Recordings stepped in and expressed an interest in his new material. 'Let The Road Pave Itself' sees him emerging as a grown up artist, penning emotional and creative songs. Musically it sounds like a modern rock record channelling the usual suspects like Coldplay, Doves and Snow Patrol to create an emotive canvas onto which LaRue can pour out his heart. Highlights for me include "Don't Be Deceived" with its string arrangement adding plenty of texture and the pulsating "Erase And Rewind" which is a study of regret. Overall, this isn't quite the classic I want it to be because a few too many songs blend into each other and lose their impact but Phillip Larue comes close in places and has made the transition from teen artist. Undoubtedly, his best work is still ahead and 'Let The Road Pave Itself' will be viewed as a pivotal transitional recording.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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