Sam Phillips
Magic for Everybody
We’re losing our collective attention span – I only made it through the first 45 minutes of Avatar, even though it was one of the coolest movies of the year. Sam Phillips decided to abandon the concept of the full-length album for a series of EPs, each written, recorded, and released over the course of a single year and referred to as the “Long Play Web Project.”
Best known for her work on Gilmore Girls, Phillips’ recorded works are straightforward, spare, and melodic, featuring simple percussion, an acoustic guitar, and maybe a bass where she needs additional emotional support. “Always Merry and Bright” is anything but; the heartache drips out of it like enchilada sauce from a leaky burrito. “Magic for Everybody” finds a more upbeat path and an early Lulu vocal style, and reminds you “Don’t let perfect make you blind… “ The rollercoaster has another bump or two before we hit the fifth and final song, “Tell Her What She Wants to Know,” which calls for honesty in a relationship. It may be a platitude, but this nice, dreamy folk song becomes more plaintive by Phillips’ voice. I can’t say if her proposed string of EPs makes business sense, but it satisfies one old show biz maxim – “Leave ‘em begging for more!”
Sam Phillips: http://www.tmtm.com/sam • http://samphillips.com
