In questioning and defining her beliefs, Sam Phillips has developed an intriguing persona.
Consider the powerful, resonant "Baby I Can't Please You," currently a hit on adult-rock radio. The lyrics could be the observations of a discontented lover - but they're the viewpoint of an expatriate from the political church.
"The thing about men and women trying to please each other is pretty amusing but it was written to fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell," Phillips said prior to a recent concert in Nashville. She'll perform at the Boulder Theatre tomorrow night.
Phillips began her career as Christian recording artist Leslie Phillips, and she enjoyed considerable success. She teamed up with producer T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, BoDeans), and their collaboration culminated in marriage. Calling herself Sam Phillips, she turned against the right-wing trappings of organized religion.
"I was trying to wholly disassociate myself from that - I wanted a clean break, to start from scratch," she explained. "A lot of people in gospel music had talked about crossing over and becoming big pop stars, that business and marketing junk. It was a matter of conscience for me. I didn't care if I lost fans. I wanted to create trust between me and the audience, not push my beliefs on them - there was so much of that and I hated it. I felt like people were going to write me off as a propagandist."
With three striking, distinct albums - 1988's "The Indescribable Wow," 1991's "Cruel Inventions" and the new "Martinis and Bikinis" - Phillips has been praised for her bewitching warble of a voice and her delicate, compelling song sense. "I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye to You" and "Lying" are some of pop music's smartest baroque singles.
"The things that I write about might be complicated, but I don't think my lyrics are highfalutin. I don't think I'm a poet. Dylan is a poet."
Phillips and Burnett have continued their professional relationship to this day. "Martinis and Bikinis" features an organic sound - Burnett meshes a supporting cast of outstanding musicians (guitarists Peter Buck and Marc Ribot, a contribution from Van Dyke Parks) and enlivens the album with lovely Beatle-esque touches.
"Of course I tip my hat to the Beatles - I love stuff like the harpsichord," Phillips said. "But it's not because I want to be the Beatles - nobody ever will be again. They're so widely referenced by people whose songwriting is closer than mine. Maybe everyone notices because I'm a woman doing it."
A harshly uttered cover of John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth" closes the album. "It wouldn't fit stylistically on the last record. But then came Anita Hill, election year - every time something would come up in politics, I wanted that song out somewhere."