The jury of the "Billboard World Song Contest" writes to Fankhauser: "Thank you so much for entering the 16th Billboard World Song Contest. Your song qualified for a top 1500 finish. This is an impressive feat. With thousands of entries coming each year exemplifying top notch quality songwriting there seems to be a trend promoting an ever increasing level of songwriting. Thus the line between winning and not winning becomes harder to define. It is extremly difficult to make decisions when nearly everything is of exceptional quality and songwrtiting craftmanship. 

Love Man Riding (Sony Music), the eleventh album of Philipp Fankhauser, debuted number 7 in the official Swiss charts on the 11th May 2008, and stayed in the charts for twentyone weeks. It re-entered in early 2009, and has remained in the top 100 best sold albums since. 

The sales have topped 15'000 units on the 9th December, and on the 27th December Philipp Fankhauser and his group have been awarded with a prestigious Gold Award at the KKL concert hall in Lucerne, attendance 1400!

Thank yous to:  

• Producer: Dennis Walker 
• Executive producer: Eric Loth 
• Engineers: Marco Jencarelli, Alan Mirikitani
• Mastering: Bernie Grundman
• Art direction: Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett
• Photography: Franco Tettamanti
• Supervision, promotion and management: Roger Guntern
• Bookings: Katha Music
• Distribution: Sony Music Entertainment
• Tailoring: Puppo Massarbeit
• Tosho Yakkatokuo, drums
• Hendrix Ackle, Hammod B3 & piano
• Marco Jencarelli, guitar
• Richard Cousins, bass
• Jim Pugh, Hammond B3
• Alan Mirikitani, guitar
• Michael Vannice, saxophone
• Lee Thornburg, trumpet
• Ira Nepus, trombone
• Tom Peterson, saxophone & arrangements
• Stephan Eicher, guitar & dulcimer
• Luis Conte, percussion
• Philipp Fankhauser, vocals & guitar

„Watching From The Safe Side“ was recorded in Lucerne and Los Angeles. It's the first album Fankhauser has recorded with his high profile touring band - Richard Cousins, bass, Tosho Yakkatokuo, drums and Hendrix Ackle, keyboards. The album contains eleven new tracks, mostly penned by Fankhauser and Walker, as well as two songs by the late great Johnny Copeland.

Produced by multiple Grammy Award winner Dennis Walker (Robert Cray, B.B. King, amo.) Additional contributions by long time Elvis Presley backup vocal group "The Sweet Inspirations" and a heavy weight horn section led and arranged by Tom Peterson.

On May 7th "Watching From The Safe Side" enters the official Top 100 charts on the 19th place.

>>> Official Swiss Charts

>>> Press pictures

>>> Complete CD Booklet (pdf)

>>> Song Lyrics

Watching From The Safe Side at iTunes

In the U.S. buy "Watching From The Safe Side" at CD Baby