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A BOOT AND A SHOE
(Nonesuch)
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Smoky as Islay Scotch, Sam Phillips’s intoxicating voice makes the most worldly-wise lyrics go down smoothly, and on A Boot and a Shoe, both the singer and her producer/husband, T-Bone Burnett, acknowledge this gift. Deep and just a touch jaded, slouching a half-step behind the beat, Phillips’s instrument can announce that "Help is coming" before eliminating hope by concluding "one day late" (on "One Day Late"), or it can waltz through "Now that I’ve worn out, I’ve worn out the world" (on "Reflecting Light") without unnecessary drama. She’s seen it all, that slow sad voice tells us, and still she finds time for a tune. As on its predecessor, 2001’s Fan Dance (also produced by Burnett), a spare, nearly acoustic backing highlights both these lyrics and Phillips’s slightly breathy delivery. Rhythm guitar (usually Phillips herself) is limited to some strummed chords, and drums (Carla Azar, often joined by Jim Keltner) stick to an almost Salvation Army starkness, leaving lots of air in the room. Guests like Marc Ribot show up in the credits, but the musical backdrop remains just that — and often evocative of earlier eras. That’s a pump organ joining the piano on "Reflecting Light," and on the too-brief "Infiltration," swoony strings lend a nostalgic ’30s piquancy. Phillips’s Kurt Weill leanings have been previously noted by critics, but on this short disc (34 minutes), his particular warped darkness comes through on "All Night" and "I Wanted To Be Alone," the latter of which would have served Marlene Dietrich as well as Greta Garbo. It’s Depression Chic redux: one note, but one note done right. (Sam Phillips performs this Wednesday, June 16, at the Paradise Lounge, 969 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston; call 617-562-8800.)
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