Perhaps the greatest challenge to any singer/songwriter is to craft an album that not only fully exposes each song's personality and uniqueness but also conveys a sense of connectedness and identity as part of a collection. Martinis & Bikinis, the third outing from Sam Phillips, is that rare animal. While Phillips' locked-solid, occasionally eerie harmonies and tender, exquisite melodies have always been (and still are) the prime component of her sound, for Martinis & Balcinis she's opted for a more sparse and organic musical texture than she has before. Indeed, after a first listen, it may seem as if Sam and hubby/producer T Bone Burnett have recently uncovered a slew of old, musty Beatles and Byrds albums they found cluttering up their attic-there are enough extreme left-right pans and roomy, raw guitars to delight any dinosaur rocker. Despite the album's psychedelic influences, however, there is not a wasted note, needless effect or unnecessary overdub, allowing the songs themselves to breathe deeply in their own freedom, spirituality and timeless diversity. Check out the stark minimalism of "Black Sky," which borrows equally from Pink Floyd and Primus, the staggered, Beatlesque strummings of "Sign Posts" and the driving, rhythmic intoxication of "The Same Rain."