| Testify | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 11 November 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2002 (Switzerland and United States) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 57:16 | |||
| Label | Face Value | |||
| Producer |
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| Phil Collins chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Testify | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 2016 reissue cover | ||||
Testify is the seventh solo studio album by the English musicianPhil Collins, released on 11 November 2002.[3] The album debuted at No. 30 on the USBillboard 200, which was also the album's peak position. It was the second Phil Collins studio album where no track peaked within the American top 40 singles chart. It was also his lowest charting album in the UK, becoming his only solo effort not to reach the top 5. However, the album achieved success in some countries ofContinental Europe. It is his second album not to be co-produced byHugh Padgham, who co-produced Collins' most successful albums.
Despite the shortage of success the album achieved, his subsequent First Final Farewell Tour proved to be very popular.[citation needed][4]
The album was reissued as a deluxe edition on CD, vinyl and digital on 15 April 2016, including a new second disc with bonus tracks.[5]
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 producersRob Cavallo and James Sanger, engineer Allen Sides, guitaristTim Pierce, and bassist Paul Bushnell. Collins worked extensively with computers during production, work that can be seen throughout the album. After Collins madeDance into the Light without any drum machine, he returned to the device forTestify.[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" withGenesis.[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 daughterLily 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 associateDaryl 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 ofLeo 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 theBrother Bear soundtrack in 2003).[6]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 34/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Blender | [9] |
| E! | C[10] |
| Mojo | [11] |
| Q | [12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| Uncut | 2/10[14] |
| USA Today | [15] |
The album was panned by critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received anaverage score of 34, based on 7 reviews, making it the worst-reviewed album of 2002.[7] The album debuted at No. 30 on theBillboard charts, which was also the album's peak position. To date, the album has peaked the lowest of his seven solo efforts. FollowingDance into the Light it was the second Phil Collins studio album where no track cracked the American top 40 singles chart.
In the United Kingdom, it peaked at No. 15, his only solo album not to make the top 5. It was, however, a much greater success inContinental Europe.
In France, the album peaked at No. 2 in early 2003 and remained at that position for three weeks. It became Collins' biggest-selling album since...But Seriously.
In Australia, it peaked at No. 96 in November 2002 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
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 theBillboard 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 entitledGoing Back, a collection of covers ofMotown and other soul songs, which was released on 13 September 2010. The end of a 2011-2015 hiatus made another album seem possible,[16] but in 2025 Collins said he was "not hungry" enough to make more music due to his ongoing health issues.[17]
All tracks are written byPhil Collins, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wake Up Call" | 5:15 | |
| 2. | "Come with Me" | 4:34 | |
| 3. | "Testify" | 6:31 | |
| 4. | "Don't Get Me Started" | 4:41 | |
| 5. | "Swing Low" | 5:08 | |
| 6. | "It's Not Too Late" | 3:59 | |
| 7. | "This Love This Heart" | 4:04 | |
| 8. | "Driving Me Crazy" | 4:37 | |
| 9. | "The Least You Can Do" |
| 4:21 |
| 10. | "Can't Stop Loving You" | Billy Nicholls | 4:17 |
| 11. | "Thru My Eyes" | 5:07 | |
| 12. | "You Touch My Heart" | 4:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "High Flying Angel" | 4:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "High Flying Angel" (B-side) | 4:43 | |
| 2. | "Crystal Clear" (B-side) | 3:05 | |
| 3. | "Hey Now Sunshine" (B-side) | 5:02 | |
| 4. | "TV Story" (B-side) | 4:05 | |
| 5. | "True Colors" (live rehearsal 2004) | 5:31 | |
| 6. | "Come with Me" (live 2004) | 5:13 | |
| 7. | "It's Not Too Late" (live 2004) | 4:03 | |
| 8. | "Can't Stop Loving You" (live 2004) | Nicholls | 4:33 |
| 9. | "It's Only Loving" (demo) | 5:22 | |
| 10. | "Tearing and Breaking (Re-recorded forLove Songs in 2004)" (demo) | 5:43 |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[55] | Gold | 15,000* |
| Belgium (BRMA)[56] | Gold | 25,000* |
| France (SNEP)[57] | 2× Platinum | 600,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[58] | 3× Gold | 450,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[59] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[60] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[61] | Gold | 30,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[62] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[63] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[64] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Box sets | |
| Soundtracks | |
| Concert tours | |
| Bands | |
| Related articles | |
Phil Collins songs | |
|---|---|
| Face Value | |
| Hello, I Must Be Going! | |
| No Jacket Required | |
| Buster | |
| ...But Seriously | |
| Serious Hits... Live! |
|
| Both Sides | |
| Dance into the Light | |
| ...Hits | |
| Tarzan | |
| Testify | |
| Brother Bear | |
| Going Back | |
| Featured singles | |
| Other singles | |
| Other songs | |
