BRIGHT WHITE / DREAM QUEEN

The ProgArchives bio for the Texan-born singer-songwriter SHAWN PHILLIPS (b. 1943) is very long and gives also brief descriptions of albums, but I'd really like to read more album reviews here. I've actually listened to three albums plus a compilation only, so the seventh album Bright White (1973) is not familiar to me as I'm now having a taster of it in the form of this single. According to All Music Guide, "Possessing more rhythmic vitality than its predecessors, as well as a smoother, quasi-jazz feel, Bright White may be Phillips' most conventionally accessible album". In the light of the few PA ratings it's not quite among his best ones but not very far behind either.

Suitably these two songs represent two contrasting sides in Phillips' music. 'Bright White' is an energetic and rather cheerful uptempo song with a rich arrangement. The horns stick out powerfully. It is well done, but as a song per se it's not so spectacular. 3/5

The hazy 'Dream Queen' represents the fascinating uniqueness of this artist. As a side note, my first acuqaintance with his music was the Finnish cover recorded by the domestically popular long-term artist HECTOR; his 'Käenpoika' (1978) is a good version of the 1971 song called -- take a deep breath -- 'She Was Waitin' for Her Mother at the Station in Torino and You Know I Love You Baby But It's Getting Too Heavy to Laugh'. It is an extremely powerful song in its under-the-surface tension. 'Dream Queen' is not even closely as good but it has something similar in it as it delicately grows from the whisper-gentle beginning. The vocals are mesmerizing and very flexible. In this matter Phillips can be compared to TIM BUCKLEY. The arrangement is nice too, highlighting steel guitar, piano and acoustic guitar. 4/5