Originally issued under the name Leslie Phillips (this intriguing singer-songwriter's given name--the one that earned her a large Christian following in the mid '80s), this 1987 title is aptly named. The Turning has one foot in Phillips's devotional-music past and the other in her secular future. The Southern Californian wasn't interested in abandoning her beliefs during this transitional phase; rather, she was disenchanted with the more doctrinaire elements of the Christian-music industry. Thus, songs that would've fit on her earliest recordings ("God Is Watching You," "Answers Don't Come Easy") mingle with idiosyncratic pop songs. This 10-song set marks Phillips's first collaboration with her future husband, T Bone Burnett, who contributes suitably adventurous production (listen to the Buddy Holly-inspired minimalism of "Libera Me" and the lovely "River of Love." The Turning isn't quite on a par with Phillips's ensuing albums on Virgin, but it's nevertheless a striking step forward by an artist ascending. --Steven Stolder
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