title: Cruel Inventions
text: # Cruel Inventions
  
  Cruel Inventions is the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter Sam Phillips.
  
  ## Critical reception
  
  Professional ratings :
  
  | Review scores ||
  | - | - |
  | Source | Rating |
  | AllMusic | |
  | Chicago Tribune | |
  | Christgau's Consumer Guide | |
  | The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
  | Entertainment Weekly | A |
  
  Cruel Inventions received mostly favorable reviews from critics. At Entertainment Weekly, David Browne gave the album an A, writing that it "...is fraught with both beauty and tension, making it one of the year's most beguiling records." Browne named it his sixth favorite album of 1991.
  
  ## Track listing
  
  All tracks are written by Sam Phillips.
  
  ## Personnel
  
  * Sam Phillips – vocals, Chamberlin, guitars
  * T Bone Burnett – Chamberlin, guitars
  * Van Dyke Parks – Chamberlin, string arrangements
  * Jim Goodwin – acoustic piano
  * Elvis Costello – guitars
  * Marc Ribot – guitars
  * Jerry Scheff – bass
  * Alex Acuña – drums, percussion
  * Michael Blair – drums, percussion
  * Mickey Curry – drums, percussion
  * Ralph Forbes – drums, percussion
  * David Kemper – drums, percussion
  * Scott Musick – drums, percussion
  * Sandy Bull – oud
  * The Sid Page Strings – string quartet
     * Larry Corbett – cello
     * John Acevedo – viola
     * Sid Page – violin
     * Joel Derouin – violin
  
  ## Production
  
  * T Bone Burnett – producer
  * Stacy Baird – recording
  * Rik Pekkonen – recording
  * Joe Schiff – recording
  * Tchad Blake – mixing
  * Kevin Killen – mixing
  * Max Garcia – assistant engineer
  * Mark Guilbeault – assistant engineer
  * Julie Last – assistant engineer
  * Tom Nellen – assistant engineer
  * Chris Niswander – assistant engineer
  * Eric Rudd – assistant engineer
  * Brian Soucy – assistant engineer
  * Jeff Ward – assistant engineer
  * Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York City, New York)
  * Melanie Nissen – art direction
  * Inge Schapp – design
  * Kathleen Philpott – design
  * Anton Corbijn – photography
  * Borman Entertainment – management
  