Fan Dance - Sam Phillips
Fan Dance Image
Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

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  • Summary: This is Sam Phillips' first new album in five years, following 1996's poorly-received 'Omnipop.' Phillips' husband, T-Bone Burnett, produces.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Sonicnet
    90
    Whenever the delicious sensuality of the music threatens to take over, the anxiety and restless intelligence that drive it return to the surface, creating a quietly riveting tension. Fan Dance could be Sam Phillips' best album yet -- and that's really saying something.
  2. CDNow
    80
    Framed in delicate, candlelit arrangements that beckon like distant ghosts, Phillips addresses matters of faith, love, and spiritual connection in such a way that questions are as important as answers.
  3. Blender
    80
    The music is by turns atmospheric, quirky and joyous. [Aug/Sep 2001, p.126]
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  4. Uncut
    60
    On first hearing, it's a record to admire rather than love, but its insidious appeal soon gets under your skin. [Sep 2002, p.112]
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See all 11 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. SneedyM
    9
    Having already forged a career in pop but failing to establish herself as a household name (despite her critically-acclaimed "Martinis & Bikinis" record which appeared on Virgin in 1994), this is Sam's attempt at paring down her sound after her bloated, heavier fourth album ("Omnipop" 1996). It's mesmerizing and vulnerable, with the entire album under a sort of acoustic restraint that makes it the first truly cohesive SP album since "Cruel Inventions" appeared a decade prior. While it's bound to turn off some fans, the independent label and mature focus make this transitional album as worthy as Bettie Serveert's "Private Suit" or any of Elvis Costello's albums from the mid 1980s.… Expand
  2. ChristopherC.
    9
    A quiet masterpiece by an exceptional and very underrated singer/songwriter that draws you further in and grabs ahold of your soul with each listen.
  3. BobG.
    4
    Boring album. I love Sam Phillips' "Cruel Inventions" and "Martinis & Bikinis," but this one's a dud. Why critics are creaming in their pants about it, I dunno. But not one song sticks in your head.… Expand

See all 4 User Reviews

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