Nobody's Got It All Together, album number four from Jill Phillips, sees this Nashville based artist returning to her independent roots with another album of Folk/Pop music. The album quickly starts off with the rock-tinged title track, which addresses the issue of Christians making themselves out to be something better than they really are, "Don't whitewash the truth about yourself/ Cause nobody's got it all together/ If you wanna be like everyone else/ Well nobody's got it all together." With a message of assurance like this, the song could easily be an anthem for colleges and churches across the country. The album cover also ties in nicely to the song, featuring pictures of twenty-four different people including the aforementioned Phillips, Andrew Peterson, and others.

The music is more folk-influenced this time around, starting with another anthem-type song, "Square Peg," this time for the Square Peg Alliance, a group of mostly-independent musicians from the Nashville area. In fact, most established independent musicians, and just Christians in general, would find comfort in this track, in which Phillips sings, "Like a square peg in a round hole/ I can't seem to fit their mold/ And make my way past the entrance/ I have had my turn to play/ But never understood their game/ And much less how someone wins it." Other notables include "Turn It Around," "Rise Above," and the album's last track, "I Am," which many may recognize from her first, self-titled release. This time around, a softer music track accompanies her vocals, which really helps bring out the beauty in the lyrics, and serves as the perfect bookend for the album.

As always, Phillips is greatly benefited from the influence of husband and fellow singer/songwriter Andy Gullahorn, whose harmonies are a welcomed replacement to the typical doubling that many indie artists use to add volume and strength to their vocals. Apart from a few production complaints and it being a little on the short side, overall Nobody's Got It All Together is a solid album with a great message of comfort and hope for all Christians alike.

- Review date: 5/28/06, written by Andrew Shaw