Phillips, Craig & Dean’s Dan Dean Delivers Solo Record with Triumph and Tears

Dan’s first taste of solo work came long before anyone knew his last name. “My musical career basically started with a custom solo project years ago, and it went aluminum,” he laughed. “I think all of my family got a copy and that’s about it.” A failed first record is likely the end of the road for any musician trying to breakout, but God had a different plan for Dan.

For more than 30 years he has been one-third of the beloved and influential Phillips, Craig & Dean, Dan has spent his life singing the songs that helped define an era. But More—his first solo project in decades, releasing June 20 on StowTown Records—is something different. It’s a personal love letter. A tribute to family. A time capsule of calling. And for those of us lucky enough to hear it, a sacred glimpse into the heart of a man who’s spent his life in service to the Church.

What followed was a deeply emotional process. Produced by ACM Award-winner Gordon Mote and Jason Webb, More brings Dan’s voice into tender new territory—what he calls “country pop,” complete with banjo, mandolin, and a warmth that feels like home. But it’s not the style that defines the record—it’s the soul.

From the opening moments of “Traveling Light” (a joyful reunion with PCD’s Randy Phillips and Shawn Craig) to the hushed vulnerability of the final track, “In the Room,” every lyric is steeped in memory, gratitude, and surrender.

Collaborations with Emily Ann Roberts, The Isaacs, Christine Dente, and even his own son, Devin, fill the tracklist. “My middle son, Devin wrote a song for this project and sings it with me as well,” he said, glowing with pride. “I have this vision of him being on the road with me.”

These songs showcase Dan’s voice as a father, a son, a pastor, a friend. He sings like someone who’s lived every word, and in many cases, he has.

“Glimpses of Glory” is another standout—co-written with Tony Wood and performed with The Isaacs—that draws inspiration from both nature and memory. “Every time you see that,” Dan said, referencing the majesty of creation, “it is God saying, ‘I’m God.’ It’s proof of who He is.” It’s these simple, sacred truths that make the album so resonant.

But the heartache is there too. More is not afraid of sorrow. “Pray Me Home,” one of the most emotionally devastating songs on the album, was born from a World War II story Dan’s father told about fallen soldiers crying out in the night. “You just couldn’t stand what you were hearing,” he recalled. “That’s what this song is about—don’t walk away from someone when they’re hurting. Pray them home.”

And then there’s “Mother of Boys,” written in honor of his mother. Inspired by a poem she penned after her last child left home, Dan admitted, “Every time I read it, I break down and cry.” The ache in his voice was palpable. But so was the love. These are the kinds of songs that feel less like performances and more like journal entries set to melody.

“In the Room,” the final track on the album, captures that spirit better than anything. “The church is empty, but I just can’t go home,” Dan recited. “So I linger for a moment in the dark all alone. I’m so overwhelmed… I’m just glad I was in the room.”

It’s that presence—being there when God moves—that defines so much of Dan’s story. And it’s why More feels less like a debut and more like a legacy.

Dan’s musical journey began in 1992, when he and his close friends Randy Phillips and Shawn Craig recorded their debut as Phillips, Craig & Dean. Over the next three decades, they helped shape the landscape of Christian music—selling more than 2.5 million albums, earning a Gold Record for “Revelation Song,” and picking up multiple Dove Awards along the way. But through it all, they remained rooted in ministry, friendship, and the local church.

Now, in this new season of solo artistry, Dan’s not leaving that legacy behind. He’s just adding a new chapter. “It’s another 2 or 3 year chapter in my life that I’m going to be able to add to the years that God has given me,” Dan said. “I thank God every day.”

And this chapter, he hopes, meets people right where they are—in the middle of the fear, the questions, the chaos.

“I’ve never witnessed a time quite like this,” he told me. “There’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of uncertainty. But if people can come out of here with the sense that God’s got this, God’s in control, it’s all going to be okay—then that’s the message I hope resonates.”

The album’s title track, “More,” says it best: whatever you have, God has more. It’s a reminder that no matter your age or season, God isn’t finished writing your story. There’s still beauty to sing about, still truth to share, still rooms to walk into where His Spirit is moving. And thanks to Dan’s faithfulness, we all get to come along for the ride.