Thirty years in music tends to either wear an artist down or sharpen everything they have to say. This new record is clearly the second kind of outcome. Phil Celia calls it Through The Years, a song cycle built around long-term relationships, aging, and faith. He says himself that it’s not a record he could have written in his younger years, since these songs needed time to settle before they were ready to be sung. At just under 30 minutes, the album is meant to be heard in one sitting, start to finish.
The singer-songwriter has been at this for decades, and the résumé backs it up. Phil Celia previously charted on US Radio’s Top 100 AAA and AC charts with his song “Stockholm Street.” In 2014, he was named Americana Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year at the 24th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards. That same year, he also picked up a Hollywood Music & Media Award for Outstanding Music Video in the Americana category. His 2013 album Circus Town earned nominations for Best Americana Album and Best Musical Group. In October 2023, he was honored with the Outstanding National Solo Artist award at the Nashville Music Awards Red Carpet Event, marking over 30 years of recording. Celia is now based near Los Angeles and works as a singer-songwriter, performer, and actor. That mix of roles lends his music a theatrical sense of storytelling.
The album opens with “Before It’s Gone,” and it hits with big energy right from the jump. A steady beat and melody carry the track, and Phil Celia delivers his vocals with real feeling throughout, bringing to mind Bruce Springsteen at his most heartfelt. He has described the song as “a life in song, a passion I’ve pursued since I was 15.” That personal weight comes through clearly in the performance.
Hear “Before It’s Gone” Here:
The pace slows considerably on “Long Road,” which Celia says is about the journey we take and the decisions we face along the way. Guitar carries most of the melody here, sweet and understated, while the vocals ooze with emotion. It’s relatable songwriting that pulls the listener straight into the story. “Over and Older” continues that same vibe, elegant and quietly feeling-inducing.
Energy returns on “Restless,” a song Phil Celia says is about striving to be your best. A solid drumbeat drives the track, and the whole arrangement feels uplifting, with every instrument meshing together into a full, confident sound. The songwriter has a clear way with words, and this track shows it off without ever feeling forced.
The record closes on its title track, “Through the Years,” a song about the meaningful relationships we cherish in friendship and love throughout our lives. It’s a sweet song built on a pretty melody, almost a lullaby. True long-term love comes through in his voice, and it closes the album on exactly the right note.
Through The Years isn’t trying to chase a younger audience or fit into today’s modern sound, and it doesn’t need to. Phil Celia himself put it best when he said these are songs that take time, ones he simply couldn’t have written in his younger years. The album is a short, focused listen, one clearly meant to resonate most with longtime fans and lifelong friends who’ve followed his career for decades. It’s a fitting way to mark three decades in music while welcoming in all lvoeres of solid story driven songwriting.
Release Information
Artist: Phil Celia
Release: Through The Years
Label: Independent
Genre: Americana / Singer-Songwriter
Find More From Phil Celia Here
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