Sara Phillips

Sara Phillips is golden. A hybrid of pop, alternative and adult contemporary. Amazing production, lyrical content and instrumentation coupled with angelic vocals. This smoking hot artist definitely a contender for not only our #360WatchList mixtape but hopefully one day a Grammy nod. Her creativity, marketability and immense talent will take her extremely far. - 360 Mag

Sara Phillips is a singer/songwriter who also plays the guitar and the piano. Currently residing in New York, she originally hails from my hometown, Montreal. According to her website, she is currently unsigned. Judging by the quality of the composition and rendition on her self-titled debut EP, I can’t believe that this state of things will last for very long. Talent oozes from her work. She’s one of these singers that uses recording microphones to make it sound like she’s whispering right into your ear, a technique that was perfected by crooners like Frank Sinatra. She reminded me of Adele at times, but Adele annoys me a bit for some reason, so I actually liked Phillips better. I’m going to make a confession that’s likely to hurt my extremely virile, manly image here, but her music made me teary-eyed… more than once. Her voice reaches right in through your ears and wraps your soul in a blanket. I see images of rainy Sunday mornings spent in bed looking out into the city through the wet, runny glass.
The music is fairly minimal and more meant as a complement to her gorgeous jazz voice, so I’m not going to touch on that too much in this review. What I will say is that each song uses its own set of instruments, which means that the EP, despite the songs being fairly similar in mood, is pretty heterogeneous.You’ll enjoy this release for Sara’s voice more than for the music, but it accompanies her voice very well.Sara puts honest, heartfelt lyrics on display in her art. I really appreciated the authenticity of her artistic approach. What I’m looking for in singing/songwriting is honesty, emotion, and execution, and frankly Sara does all of these things with great passion. I’d be very tempted to go see her in concert if ever she was in my area, even though singer/songwriters are not my usual bag. It does fit very well with Vancouver weather; it’s grey, rainy and, sad.
Ok, so other than just telling you how amazingly good this release is, here’s a bit of specifics: the EP starts off with a song called “Home.” It’s not that I didn’t like this song, but it was my least favorite. I also think it’s the most likely to end up on commercial radio, so that’s probably why the huge hipster that I am did not like it as much. Next is a very soft, touching song called “Tell Me Now.” “Holding Your Place” is a bit more upbeat, with drums et al. Don’t expect a mosh pit song, though, we’re still in soft jazz territory. I found that her voice was smiling in sections of this song, so it was a nice touch of positivity in an otherwise melancholy release. Next, we have “Lie To Me,” a sad sounding song about trust and lies. The 5-song EP finishes off with possibly the softest song on the album, “My Love.” I’d have to agree with putting the softest song at the end of the release as that leaves the listener with a tranquil, soothing feeling. Sara’s work is meant to soothe your soul, it is extremely intimate, so bask in it and let it get to you! This is a great work of art, so I would expect to hear a lot more of her music in the future. The only thing better I could have asked for would have been good quality audio files. Unfortunately, 192 kbps mp3 simply does not do justice to such an incredible voice. In any case, go see her, go to her shows, and buy her music. You won’t be disappointed. - Norm Boivin

She’s a Montreal native now thriving in the wilderness of New York, wielding her guitar and a voice reminiscent of Missy Higgins and Sara Bareilles. If you are looking for a place to pause and breathe, you will find it in Sara Phillips’ voice, gentle and endearing.
Although “Undertow” is one of her first original singles, she’s been releasing exceptional covers on her YouTube page every week for the past few months. She’s a beguiling talent bearing a commitment to hard work and an irrepressible drive; I expect we’ll be seeing much more of Sara Phillips in the near future. Stay tuned; you’ll be rooting for this one like she’s family. - Kate Carman

Known primarily for her acoustic covers, Sara Phillips, a singer-songwriter from New York City is a star in the making. Pairing an angelic voice with the look of a pop star, there is something for everyone. Given the time to develop as an artist, she could fit right in with the likes of Alanis Morisette. For Sara it’s not as much an issue of whether or not she’ll break, but when. [...] - Jeff Lanier