The fact that some of today's most rapturous and accessible pop music seldom reaches a mass audience shows how fickle mainstream audiences can be. But Sam Phillips, whose "Martinis and Bikinis" is the singer and songwriter's third album in five years, continues to pursue her own artistic vision, and her newest songs are her most addictive yet.
Haunting arrangements written with the producer T. Bone Burnett (who is also her husband) and melodic phrases quoted from Beatles hits remain Ms. Phillips's signatures. On "I Need Love" - which, as usual, finds the husky-voiced singer searching for spiritual verities - makes particularly clever use of the guitar hook from George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone."
"Baby I Can't Please You" and "Strawberry Road" convey an odd but appealing mix of 60's psychedelia and sanctimoniousness, a reminder that Ms. Phillips began as a contemporary Christian singer. It's no surprise, then, that the album ends with a luxuriant version of "Gimme Some Truth," John Lennon's ethereal lament for an era's lost ideals; what's surprising is that such gorgeous tunes aren't topping the charts.