SAM PHILLIPS
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Let’s settle this thing once and for all. Sam Phillips is not the second coming of the Beatles. Sure, even a cursory listen to Martinis and Bikinis–the new LP from the former Christian singer-songwriter, who first turned toward secular concerns with 1988’s The Indescribable Wow–will turn up countless moments of Fab Foreplay: irresistible harmonies, indelible choruses, even direct quotations from “Eleanor Rigby” and “Rain.” From the plaintive “Black Sky” to the atmospheric “Wheel of the Broken Voice,” Phillips’s songs strip pop to its purest possibilities: verse, chorus, bridge, repeat until satisfied. And any artist that not only records a song titled “Strawberry Road” but also covers John Lennon’s angst ‘n’ rage anthem “Gimme Some Truth” isn’t shy about admitting that she’s going down to Liverpool. But Phillips can’t be the Beatles. Why? Four Beatles, one Phillips. It’s as simple as that.
So what’s wrong with this picture? Well, for one thing, no harmonies. Throughout the show Phillips handled vocals alone, and while she proved herself fully capable of hitting her marks, the lone-voice-in-the-wilderness renditions left something to be desired. On record, for instance, “Baby I Can’t Please You” relies on the layered magic of its surging chorus. Live, though, Phillips was forced to repeatedly downshift from the lead vocal line to provide what ended up being an unconvincing counterpoint. And while her presentation actually helped a few of the compositions–“When I Fall” and “Holding On to the Earth” discovered new sinew in the Land Without Backing Vocals–most of them just sounded skeletal. The overall effect was that of an underdressed performance, and while there’s nothing wrong with showing off a great body with Lycra and rib knit, there’s something to be said for a flowing garment here and there, maybe even a hat.
