• Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Jul 31, 2001
User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Negative: 0 out of 3

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  1. ChristopherC.
    Oct 9, 2001
    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.
  2. SneedyM
    Apr 10, 2005
    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 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
  3. BobG.
    Aug 30, 2002
    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.
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. 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. 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]
  3. Q Magazine
    60
    An album that's as entrancing as it is modestly proportioned. [June 2002, p.121]