If you are a regular reader here, you might have picked up on the fact that I am a major fan of Phillip Phillips. I championed him fiercely during his time on American Idol and may have turned into a bit of a giddy fan girl for awhile there… and by for awhile there I mean…

I was more than a little excited when his debut CD, The World From The Side of the Moon, finally hit the shelves this month and waited only a few days before breaking down and picking up a copy at Target which boasts 5 bonus songs, two of which appear to be Target exclusives, making for a total 17 track album.

Like a good little blogger, I have been listening to the album compulsively since then and thinking about how to write my review for a CD that I was kind of set on adoring since before it came out.

I am happy to report that his debut CD did not disappoint. It’s got that gravelly, Dave Matthews feel that one would expect after following him on Idol and I was very excited to see that he wrote most of the songs on the album. I hoped that the execs wouldn’t try to get him to deviate too far from his genre and would allow him some creative control over the music and it looks like that has miraculously happened.

I know his Idol winning single, Home, has gained a lot of post-Idol popularity between being featured in the Olympics and at least one radio jingle. It remains a favorite of mine and I like that it’s a main stream and accessible song with easy to memorize lyrics and beautiful instrumentals. The CD has both a studio and live version of the song, both very good. As much as I personally adore his less mainstream side, I think it’s important to have a few radio friendly tracks and this album has several.

Some new songs that I am particularly fond of include Gone, Gone, Gone ; Man on the Moon ; Get Up, Get Down and Where We Came From. I’d list more but that would turn into me just naming all of the tracks, because honestly this CD gets the Entire Album is Really Good seal of approval from me, which I don’t give lightly. I hate buying an album only to discover that only 2 or 3 songs are very good – with the ability to download single tracks on Amazon or iTunes, sometimes buying a whole CD isn’t worth it, but my gamble on P. Phillips debut album definitely paid off so fans, buy confidently and enjoy!

I’ve had Gone, Gone, Gone stuck in my head for days now – and I have to say, I don’t mind at all! What song has been stuck in your head lately? Got an artist or album you think I should check out? Tell me about it in the comments section below!