Songwriter Phil Madeira has always marched to the beat of his own drum, a funky inner rhythm that has led him around the world to perform with some of music's biggest starts, but that also keeps him driving against the grain, into the hushed, still moments when God Almighty whispers to his soul.  Now he turns his talent for evocative lyricism from the stage to the page as he invites us to wander with him on his relentless search for God.

In "God on the Rocks", Madeira offers snapshots from his life:  whether it's a joke involving a glass eye in a family that doesn't always see eye-to-eye, a judgmental "Grandmonster" who makes an (almost) redeeming connection in her final moments, or a crumbling marriage and the surprise of new love, Madeira's raw and tender stories illustrate the journey we all share, along with wise reflections to get through it.

Roaming from his evangelical roots while finding a successful career in Americana music, Madeira boils away the detritus of religion to discover a faith "on the rocks":  sometimes leaving him stranded on the rocky shore, sometimes savored like a smooth drink on a summer's day, but always leading to a God "not worrying about changing or chastising his broken children, but singing in a low, guttural hymn, forged in the heat of his passion for humans, a God almighty love song."

In just the way a sweet old hymn can rekindle a doubting cynic's longing for God, Medeira's beckoning voice can turn a wandering heart toward home with laughter and hope.