Breathe In (Phillips, Craig and Dean album)

Critical

The album garnered generally positive to favorable reviews, but had some negativity about the effort, as well. About.com's Kim Jones bequeathed the album a four-out-of-five-stars, and praised the album for being "potent and powerful" in the worship area, which she said to that effect that the music was "Drenched with harmonies that sound like they were orchestrated in Heaven", and called it the trio's "best". Grace S. Aspinwall of CCM Magazine bestowed the album a four-out-of-five-stars, and affirmed that "PC&D have only gotten stronger with time." Cross Rhythms' Stephen Luff conferred an eight-out-of-ten-stars to the album, and applauded with a "Well up to the singing pastors' high standards." Amanda Furbeck of Worship Leader presented the album a four-and-a-half-out-of-five-stars, and extolled that "Breathe In is a fresh, rich, and powerful praise and worship album for the hurting, broken, and struggling. Its Top 40 flavor is masterfully mixed, and its sweet harmonic blend and encouraging, worshipful lyrics are a smooth cup of coffee for a weary soul." New Release Tuesday's Dawn Teresa granted the album a four-and-a-half-out-of-five-stars, and applauded that "Breathe In is a glowing showcase for time-tested musical trio Phillips, Craig & Dean. The three solidly demonstrate musical relevance, songwriting skills, and vocals that sound better than ever." Alpha Omega News' Rob Snyder bequeathed the album a B+ grade, which means that the album is a little better than "Not perfect, but worth checking out", and admired "their message of love and hope".

However, AllMusic's Jon O'Brien gave a more mixed review of the effort, which he imposed a three-out-of-five-stars, noting that "Fans of polished indie rock worship music will no doubt feel uplifted by Breathe In's first half, but a plodding and derivative second suggests the trio have now milked the Coldplay cow dry." Even further, Robert Ham of Christianity Today levied the worst rating against the album, with only a two-out-of-five-stars, and cautioned that "The intensity may rise and fall at times, but otherwise these songs of praise can only be differentiated through subtle shifts in instrumentation and melody."

Personnel