Sam Phillips

This LP compiles songs from a number of LPs singer Sam Phillips made for Virgin and shows her tip-toeing away from her modestly successful commercial pop career and inching toward the breathy, sophisticated cabaret songs that would blossom on Fan Dance. The record's catchy winner is "I Need Love," an upbeat pop number that underscores Phillips' ability to write a convincing hook. The string quartet behind the verse of "Where the Colors Don't Run" hints at the stylistic maturation afoot, and the sardonic "Animals on Wheels" is another standout for its cutting wordplay.