Over the last 30 years, Sam Phillips has had one of the more unusual and varied careers in what can broadly be called pop music. Her first success came in the early ’80s via contemporary Christian music, under the name Leslie Phillips; she was, regrettably, marketed as “the Christian Cyndi Lauper.” Flash forward to 2013, and the alternative Lauper-less sounding artist is self-issuing Push Any Button, her first physical release of new material in seven years. It’s not a radical change in style, but it’s livelier and more fun than anything she’s done since her Virgin era. Many of the 10 songs contain hints of that intersection of rockabilly and country that the other Sam Phillips made his name with, and some include almost countrypolitan string arrangements. Phillips will be guest editing on magnetmagazine.com all this week. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that her prose and reflections are just as interesting and evocative as her songwriting. Read our bran new feature on her.
Phillips: His art is in the Smithsonian, but you might know his painting from the album covers he did for R.E.M. and Talking Heads. Howard Finster was a folk artist who wrote things on his paintings that sort of resemble the crazy copy on a Dr. Bronner’s soap bottle. Aside from the religious, there is innocence and optimism in his work that is touching. A friend of mine wrote to him before he died and asked Howard to paint a portrait of his daughter, which Howard gladly did for a very reasonable fee. I like the book Howard Finster The Early Years. Maybe it will inspire you to build things in your backyard …
Video ater the jump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQUaqyCIeDo
