Personnel includes: Sam Phillips-Burnett (vocals, guitar); Gillian Welch (vocals); Van Dyke Parks (arranger, harpsichord); T Bone Burnett (guitar, piano, bass); Marc Ribot (guitar, Quatro banjo guitar, banjo); Martin Tillman (cello); Rick Will (bass); Carla Azar (drums).

Recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California; Village Recorders and Electro Magnetic Sound, West Lost Angeles, California.

Personnel: Sam Phillips (vocals, guitar, piano); Gillian Welch (vocals); Marc Ribot (guitar, banjo); Jim Keltner (banjo, cymbals); Martin Tillman (cello); T Bone Burnett (piano, tambourine); Van Dyke Parks (harpsichord); Carla Azar (drums, snare drum, maracas).

Audio Mixers: Mike Piersante; T Bone Burnett.

Recording information: Electro Magnetic Sound, West Los Angeles, CA; Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA; Village Recorders, West Los Angeles, CA; West Los Angeles, CA.

Arranger: Van Dyke Parks.

Accompanied as usual by trusty husband/producer T-Bone Burnett, Sam Phillips continues her streak of intelligent, complex pop albums that are simultaneously intriguing and accessible. In contrast to the rococo tapestries of MARTINIS AND BIKINIS and OMNIPOP, FAN DANCE keeps things decidedly spare. While Phillips employs her trademark melodic gift in the service of songs that betray a strong hint of John Lennon influence, there's a moody, creepy quality to many of the tunes here that lends a strong film noir flavor: David Lynch would likely find many choice items suitable for his next surreal cinematic effort. Helping to keep it creepy is guitarist extraordinaire Marc Ribot, who provides a great deal of the atmosphere. Still, with the scaled-down arrangements, the songs are front and center, and darkly catchy little gems they are, as strong as anything Phillips has come up with to date.

Q (6/02, p.121) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A pleasingly dreamlike sensation throughout...It's an album that's as entrancing as it is modestly proportioned."

Uncut (9/02, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...an album of soft-spoken beauty...intriguingly inventive...flitting, cinematic imagery..."

CMJ (8/13/01, p.29) - "...Transports listeners to a table in a silent and smoky lounge...while Phillips performs mere feet away, no microphone, her voice deep and throaty, yet crystal clear in your ear..."

No Depression (11-12/01, p.125) - "...Her warmest, most inviting record to date..."