USA Today: Sam Phillips's "Gorgeously Quirky" New Album Has "A Dusky Beauty"

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In her review of Sam Phillips's latest Nonesuch release, Don’t Do Anything, USA Today's Elysa Gardner writes of Sam that her "wonderfully fuzzy vocals and wry, lyrical songwriting are two of the world’s underappreciated wonders." Gardner says that the "gorgeously quirky sensibility" of Sam's previous releases, is matched on the new record, which also features songs with "a dusky beauty that’s distinctly their own."

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In her review of Sam Phillips's latest Nonesuch release, Don’t Do Anything, USA Today's Elysa Gardner writes of Sam that her "wonderfully fuzzy vocals and wry, lyrical songwriting are two of the world’s underappreciated wonders." On the new record, Gardner finds the production to be a stand-out feature. She cites the "gorgeously quirky sensibility" of Sam's previous releases, produced by T Bone Burnett, and finds its match on the new record, which Sam produced herself. What's more, writes Gardner, Don't Do Anything also features songs with "a dusky beauty that’s distinctly their own."

Read more at usatoday.com.

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Christianity Today gives the album four stars, with writer Jeffrey Overstreet saying in the "passionate songs" of Don't Do Anything, Sam "points listeners toward hope—a river of love that's flowing 'under the night.'"

Overstreet calls the album's title track "a half-whispered declaration of love that persists in times of despair"; its closing track "a soaring anthem"; and her song "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us," which Alison Krauss and Robert Plant recorded on their 2007 album Raising Sand, "the project's crowning glory."

He too gives a nod to Sam's efforts at the record's helm, writing "Phillips can be proud of her production. It's a pop cocktail, by turns playful and profound, with more than just a twist of lemon."

"While the scars of her own journey are evident throughout," Overstreet later concludes, "the songs glow with hope and resilient faith."

To read the full review, visit christianitytoday.com.

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Sam Phillips: Don't Do Anything [cover]
  • Wednesday, July 30, 2008
    USA Today: Sam Phillips's "Gorgeously Quirky" New Album Has "A Dusky Beauty"

    In her review of Sam Phillips's latest Nonesuch release, Don’t Do Anything, USA Today's Elysa Gardner writes of Sam that her "wonderfully fuzzy vocals and wry, lyrical songwriting are two of the world’s underappreciated wonders." On the new record, Gardner finds the production to be a stand-out feature. She cites the "gorgeously quirky sensibility" of Sam's previous releases, produced by T Bone Burnett, and finds its match on the new record, which Sam produced herself. What's more, writes Gardner, Don't Do Anything also features songs with "a dusky beauty that’s distinctly their own."

    Read more at usatoday.com.

    ---

    Christianity Today gives the album four stars, with writer Jeffrey Overstreet saying in the "passionate songs" of Don't Do Anything, Sam "points listeners toward hope—a river of love that's flowing 'under the night.'"

    Overstreet calls the album's title track "a half-whispered declaration of love that persists in times of despair"; its closing track "a soaring anthem"; and her song "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us," which Alison Krauss and Robert Plant recorded on their 2007 album Raising Sand, "the project's crowning glory."

    He too gives a nod to Sam's efforts at the record's helm, writing "Phillips can be proud of her production. It's a pop cocktail, by turns playful and profound, with more than just a twist of lemon."

    "While the scars of her own journey are evident throughout," Overstreet later concludes, "the songs glow with hope and resilient faith."

    To read the full review, visit christianitytoday.com.

    Journal Articles:Reviews

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