Album Notes

So, What is Rhymes of Ancient Passion?


The long-awaited debut album from

Phil Darkins


Released 20th November 2004


Rhymes of Ancient Passion is the debut album from New Zealand's, Phil Darkins
It is the culmination of 23 years of song-writing, multi-media live performances and a commitment to produce a product of the highest quality, using the very best resources.
The CD contains 15 tracks; well over an hour’s playing time.

Rhymes of Ancient Passion is predominantly an album of fresh, insightful - and original - compositions. It features a wide variety of musical flavours, from contemporary techno (Vincent), soft adult-contemporary (What of it?, I Hope She Knows, When You Simply Close the Door); through blues & jazz (Your Shipwreck, The Love Residing Daily); harder edged rock (All I Need to Know, I Stand to Lose); a touch of contemporary country (Kat D.T., To Say “I’m Sorry”); even a slice of flamenco (Delightful Dancer); and the pseudo-classical (In the Moonlight).

Rhymes of Ancient Passion also features fresh treatments of three timeless songs:
Don McLean’s Vincent (Starry Starry Night), Roy Orbison’s Crying, and the Johnny Mathis Christmas standard, When a Child is Born.

The theme of Rhymes of Ancient Passion is Redemption. The album is a track-by-track story of unrequited love, travelling through the process of grief, associated with a perceived loss, and the eventual soul redemption from a spiritual acceptance of what - truthfully - is most important in one's life: happiness; and wisdom acquired through experience.

Rhymes of Ancient Passion is a work of trust and faith. Phil & Natalie Darkins project-managed and financed the production with their own hard-earned cash, hiring specialists and allowing those people to simply do what they do best without interference.

Many albums recorded in a studio for an artist in absentia are cold, clinical and lifeless; this is NOT one of THEM. This album thrives on the truthful energy offered by each and every contributor; there is a passion and exuberance emitted from this recording that could only come from an injection of honest, positive vibes provided by musicians who truly believe in the power of these compositions. It is a genuine team effort in support of an artist that these contributors have faith in.

Phil Hornblow of Wellington’s Vision Studios was chosen as Producer and Arranger. He was given complete artistic control of the process, which allowed him to put his unique stamp of individuality on the project. “I trust Mr. H. implicitly”, says Darkins, “He is a musical genius, who knows how to get the best out of me and my songs, so I just left him with a bunch of guitar and voice demos’, and said, ‘Call me when you need the vocals done’.” The first time Darkins heard his own album was when the first 2,000 pressings turned up at his Wellington office. That is an act of faith! AND it has been well rewarded!

Some of the other specialists involved were Art Director, Steph Casey - from Beetroot Communications - who was given an identical brief from Darkins: “Here are the demo’s; do what you do; give your belief, energy and truthful response to these songs.” The results speak for themselves: the artwork is stark, vibrant and highly original.
Similarly, photographer Charlotte Bon - of PhotoCraft Studios - delivered myriad powerful images, incorporated in the album artwork and on the website, www.phildarkins.com .
Website developers, OJO Creative then took the pass and carried the ball across the line with an original, informative and entertaining website.

The session musicians who play on Rhymes of Ancient Passion were each chosen for their professionalism and their belief in the strength of the compositions. “Anyone who didn’t like the songs would have been politely asked to leave,” says Darkins, “I wanted their honesty, support and energy, to ensure that this album sounded just as good as it could. None of them let me down; I’m thrilled with their work.”
At the time of writing, Darkins still hadn’t actually met most of the people who had injected their musical energy into this project!