The Flesh and the Spirit

 The Flesh and the Spirit [Click to listen]

In this album Joel has written songs that explore internal issues, such as the search for love and meaning. The song Old Time Songs references the gospel songs that Joel remembers singing as a boy in church. Me and Brother John is a song about sibling rivalry. Orange Valley Road and If We Never Meet Again are bittersweet songs about lost love, while Home reinforces the redemptive power of love. I'm Building a House and Spiritual Eyes explore a spiritual journey, while The Flesh and the Spirit details the tension between the demands of these two aspects of the human condition. Friends documents the value of human companionship, while Dreamers applauds human aspiration. What Shall It Profit a Man and Carry Me Over, finish the album with the assertion that there is more to life than what we see in the here and now.

As with his two earlier albums, Joel has enlisted the help of veteran musician and producer, Lucky Oceans, to record this album, along with Jim Fisher on mandolin, acoustic, electric and bass guitar and harmony vocals and Brian Booy on drums.