Push Any Button

While the orchestrated beauty of "See You in Dreams" should capture the imagination of any Beatles fan who marveled at "Eleanor Rigby" and "The Fool on the Hill," Sam Phillips is still mostly known only by fans who've gone hoarse from shouting about the singer/songwriter's talents for decades. Push Any Button continues Phillips' streak of writing baroque adult pop songs; if there were a better defined market for adult pop, her hooks would be ringing everywhere. Phillips is always a bit complicated, and her smart arrangements mean that even her rockers ("Things I Shouldn't Have Told You") have something pulling them back from revealing their whole selves. (That's maturity for you!) Even though it's less than a half-hour, Push Any Button features several moments that will keep observant listeners coming back. In the compact "Going," a minute and a half says so much; on "You Know I Won't," Phillips suggests she's aware of the Sun Records connection in her name. And on "No Time Like Now," she might be somewhat optimistic. But you'll have to listen again to be sure.