Phil was a topical singer/songwriter; it's hard to evaluate his work without putting it in context.

"Love me I'm a liberal" might not be the greatest song in the world, but when he sang it in front of the Conrad Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago on a hot summer night in 1968, it crystallized the feelings and views of that huge protest crowd. He was a powerful force in a political movement.

It's hard for me to evaluate his music as MUSIC for that reason; when I hear it, it brings all that back to me. "Here's to the state of Mississippi" may have been sophomoric, but it distilled the anger and disillusionment of the era down to something raw and incredibly powerful.

But I can easily see how those who didn't experience his music in context might be unimpressed.