“She doesn’t rush the music, which bounces along most of the time with an oompah somewhere between Kurt Weill and British skiffle. But she strips away introductions, solos and nearly everything else that might digress from the intimacies of the songs. Ms. Phillips has often used her gift for imagery to step back and observe the effects of desire. This time she uses it to get closer, placing herself inside romances that are collapsing or stumbling back to their feet.” “Her singing is still pretty straightforward, but she’s surrounded it with creaky percussion, shadowy guitars and cracks-in-the-varnish textures that bring to mind Tom Waits’s more contemplative moments and latter-day Rickie Lee Jones.” “Seductive.” “Phillips and [T Bone] Burnett load these 13 short tunes with sophisticated instrumental quirks and multiple percussion, providing a perfect backdrop for her intelligent lyrics and straightforward singing. In a just world, radio would play music this smart and Phillips would be a star.” “Sam Phillips sings a ray of light into the darkness. A disc of graceful beauty, A Boot and a Shoe features the torch singer/songwriter delivering her perfect pop melodies steeped in the poetry of loss, broken-heartedness and desire.” “True ‘alternative’ music—a sophisticated flip side to what passes for pop these days.” “Wait a minute. Is that Marianne Faithfull mining Tom Waits’s repertoire? It is not, but the new release from Sam Phillips could easily be that stunning hybrid.” “A Boot and a Shoe has plenty of endearing quirk. Grade: A-“ “Phillips' latest disc sounds like nothing short of a lost trove of Beatles White Album demos in various states of decoration, ornamented with only the sparest strum of acoustic guitar, sometimes strings, a bit of drums and the odd keyboard flourish. Phillips’ lyrics are disturbing and strange, but she delivers them in a winning, sly slur.” “A Boot and a Shoe will appeal equally to fans of adventurous adult alternative music and fans of contemplative, spiritually oriented songcraft. Either way, it’s a kick. HHHH.” “This bare-bones record is breathtaking in its subtlety and deceptive simplicity. Phillips wrote all 13 tracks, which have a dusty vintage yet timeless feel. The instrumentation is spare—guitar, drums and faint bass, mostly—and it perfectly complements Phillips’ dry voice. She threads her way around understated melodies that linger like smoke after fireworks.” “the mark of a first-rate songwriter.” A Boot and a Shoe is a rare record, one whose songs are recognizable after one listen, and another triumph for one of our most original, if not, prolific, artists.”

©2005 Sam Phillips. All Rights Reserved.