When was the last time you heard 300 people be perfectly quiet? The audience at Sam Phillips' performance Tuesday night at the Phoenix Hill Tavern gave her one of the greatest gifts - precious silence - during the acoustic numbers at the beginning and end of her set.
Phillips deserved that kind of respect. Her voice, which she projected effortlessly, delivered rounded vowels with a nasal drawl that couldn't be placed geographically. Phillips stood still at the microphone, her arms by her side and her hair a bit disheveled, managing to be a dynamic front person without moving more than a few steps.
But when she opened with "The Turning," one of her earliest songs, it was clear that much of her charisma comes from her songs. "Circle of Fire," "When I Fall," "I Need Love" and the propulsive "Fighting with Fire" contributed to the thick, hazy mood centering around Phillips' sultriness. "Baby I Can't Please You" sounded like pop music raised in the Southwest, and "Signposts" had a touch of reggae in its insistent guitar stutter.
The 50-minute set was bolstered by the impeccable guitar work of Phillips' husband, T Bone Burnett.