REVIEW: Sam Phillips, Zero Zero Zero (Virgin)
- Daniel Aloi
For the uninitiated, this 15-song set is an O.K. introduction to singer-songwriter Sam Phillips, collecting (and reworking) tracks from her four excellent Virgin albums in the '90s Cruel Inventions, The Indescribable Wow, 1994's Grammy-nominated Martinis and Bikinis and 1996's esoteric Omnipop (It's Only a Flesh Wound Lambchop).
Five of the catalog items are remixes or alternate mixes (and there's a new version of "Holding on to the Earth"), and three previously unreleased songs are the bait for established Phillips fans who own all of her records. With all production by her husband, T-Bone (J. Henry) Burnett, this retrospective holds together well, and the value-added tracks (including the all-new "Disappearing Act" and "You Lost My Mind") signal new directions. "Ribot Tripping Over Gravity" briefly revisits a Cruel Inventions track with a soundscape painted by frequent sideman Marc Ribot's guitar.
Always philosophical in affairs of the heart, Phillips has made a career of the anything-but-straightforward pop song. A former Contemporary Christian singer (Virgin re-released the transitional Leslie Phillips album "The Turning" in 1996), she remains grounded in her spirituality. "I Need Love" stands as her best statement of requiring both passion and God in her life. On Omnipop's circuslike "Animals on Wheels," she grapples with fame, greed and ambition, from an idealist's viewpoint.
And that song is the most telling about her own career. Although her music is accessible and intelligent, Phillips has never been too commercially viable. She tours only sporadically, and never really leapt to success after media exposure on "Melrose Place" and a number of hip movie soundtracks. (One quibble: Why no attempt to include her hard-to-find soundtrack covers of "A Midnight Clear" and "These Boots Were Made For Walking"?) This collection smacks of contractual obligation, but it is strong and worth owning, even with its nearly unreadable song credits. Instead, it may just hold the fans' interest (and earn Phillips some new devotees) until the next full studio release.
