It is, to date, their best. The most important differences in the group, and the music, are the addition of Craig Frost as permanent keyboard player and the elimination of an outside producer. Not all of them, mind you, just some. There is a certain looseness to this album that is perhaps created through the knowledge that the project belongs to Grand Funk alone. No need thinking that material is totally different than what has gone before.
Phoenix is, by no means, a great album.
It is, however, good enough to warrant the attention of all of us who previously ignored the name Grand Funk. If this is an indication of what we can expect from now on, we may even get to like them.