Sam Baker - Horses and Stars

by Helen Tipping

published: 22 / 10 / 2019

Label: Sam Baker Music
Format: CD

Poetic and emotional live album from Texan singer-songwriter Sam Baker, who will be touring the UK next year.

Review

Sam Baker is a Texan singer-songwriter. After being severely injured in a terrorist attack in Peru, he went through surgery, depression, addiction and finally rehabilitation before being able to play guitar, and bring his stories to a wide audience. 'Horses and Stars' is a live album of previously released material, going back to 2004. He writes very sparse, poetic songs, accompanied by equally sparse guitar playing. It allows his lyrics to stand out, and they certainly do that channelling the spirit of both Woody Guthrie and Johnny Cash. The subject of his song varies from the political to love songs, and his own story. 'Migrants' covers the plight of Mexican immigrants dying as they try to enter the US for a better life, a subject that Woody Guthrie would be covering if he were still alive today. In 'Broken Fingers' Sam revisits the accident that left him with multiple injuries, but left the couple and their son that he was talking to dead. Knowing that the young lad, with his life ahead of him, was never going to fulfil his dreams and ambitions is something that keeps Sam going. After the accident, he found his song writing was more meaningful, moving away from the standard love songs that he was writing. As well as writing beautiful, poetic songs, Sam is an artist. He painted the cover art for the album. His website has some examples of his photography, which is really well composed, and his artworks. So far, his only date here in at Bury Met next February, but I would expect more dates to be announced. I’d really recommend going to see him on the back of this live album. It looks to be an emotional experience.

Track Listing:-

1 Boxes (Live)
2 Thursday (Live)
3 Angel Hair (Live)
4 Iron (Live)
5 Same Kind of Blue (Live)
6 Migrants (Live)
7 Mennonite (Live)
8 Snow (Live)
9 Waves (Live)
10 Odessa (Live)
11 Broken Fingers (Live)
12 Pretty World (Live)