Sam Phillips - or “the artist formerly known as Leslie Phillips” - recorded as a Christian music artist until recording The Turning with the producer T-Bone Burnett. In 1988 she left Christian music behind, signed with Virgin, and adopted the moniker “Sam Phillips.”

The first Sam Phillips album The Indescribable Wow deals with expected subject matter for a first outing: love, loss, and a bit of abstract dream imagery sprinkled about. The retro sound recalls the fifties and sixties, more specifically Roy Orbison, the Beatles, and Motown. Most distinctive is the use of harpsichord and a tad much reverb in the production by T Bone Burnett.

I Don’t Want To Fall In Love

= 4 stars

Harpsichord, hand claps, and bass. No drums until the chorus, which is in relative minor to echo the negative  sentiment of the title. Unfortunately there’s no bridge or instrumental solo, just some backwards guitars in the outro. The track as a whole is a very simple, yet catchy first track.

I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye To You

= 5 stars

Happy, upbeat, almost Phil Spector girl group sound, complete with background vocals that really shine during the middle eight. Some Rubber Soul era guitar pokes about. Vocal wise, Sam engages in some odd Cyndy Lauper style hollering, which she’ll thankfully abandon on the next album.

Flame

= 3 stars

More representative of Sam’s work as a whole: a mellow ballad using mostly acoustic instruments. It’s a little like And I Love Her with a minor chord change borrowed from Elvis Costello’s Jack Of All Parades, on which T Bone Burnett was producer.

The bridge is good, taking the song to a new place yet still feeling appropriate. Lyrically, a flame of passion illuminates the dark but also has a mesmerizing effect. Sam plays the part of a moth drawn toward the light.

Remorse

= 3 stars

The part of the verse leading into the chorus is a little too hectic for my taste. The chorus is great, returning to the harpsichord and background vocals that smooth everything over. But ultimately, a wandering bridge and instrumental, country-esque twangy guitar thing that goes on a little too long, hamper the track.

What Do I Do

= 5 stars

Simply stunning: just a string quartet and a chorus of Sam vocals. The ornamentation and overlapping vocal lines bring to life the aching sentiment of the lyrics, as if the various lines are competing to attract a someone’s affection. The song’s final moments feature some sparkling, sharp accents coming from the strings.

I Can’t Stop Crying

= 4 stars

Similar instrumentation to the album opener, with harpsichord and drums saved for the chorus, but the verse is in minor while the chorus is in relative major. A bit reminiscent of Roy Orbison’s masterpiece Crying.

Holding On To The Earth

= 3 stars

This song with “sitar” like guitar and chimy organ resembles Strawberry Alarm Clock’s Incense and Peppermints but without that song’s bubble gum pop perfection. Lyrically, it’s a combination of dream imagery and a suggestion to not hold onto the material world before death, a  theme Sam tackles better on future albums. It’s a bit beyond me why this tune was selected as a single.

She Can’t Tell Time

= 4 stars

Like an out-take from Hard Day’s Night, with a rather askew chord progression juxtaposing major and minor in odd places. The chorus references to “sleep” recall I’m Only Sleeping, complete with backwards guitar solo.

What You Don’t Want To Hear

= 4 stars

Return to the girl group sound, but the chorus is a bit too simple and therefore slightly unsuccessful. The bridge is also rather weak. It’s rather amusing that the album’s happiest sounding song is the most negative lyrically - it’s a break up tune.

Out Of Time

= 3 stars

Great guitar lick. The verse melody and drums recalls Roy Orbison’s Only The Lonely. The lyrics mention “time” and leaving a lover behind, making it a strange amalgam of the previous two tracks.

Intra-Album-Rank-O-Rama: 3.8

Next Album: Cruel Inventions

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