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Twang and heart pangs
The last time we heard from Sam Quinn, he was singing his sad, weary soul out alongside his Everybodyfields’ partner Jill Andrews. On his solo debut, the big-bearded strummer mostly sticks to what he knows: lonesome Americana tunes that pair well with a glass of scotch and a creaky porch swing, lovelorn and moaning with pedal steel, piano parlor accompaniment and warbling vocals.
The album errs on the side of monotonous, which is too bad, because Quinn shines when he boots the boy-and-his-guitar act and joins his backing band, The Japan Ten, for raw vocal harmonies, as on “Late The Other Night” and “Help Me.” Beautiful, aching moments abound on this album, especially on opener “Hello,” but the downtrodden tempos and Quinn’s dedication to sad song conventions end up weighing the album down.
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Sam's songwriting shines on this record that almost serves as a consolation to every everybodyfields fan who was left wanting more. These songs are moody but I find it noble that Sam sticks to what I find to be just honest songs that aren't contrived, a breath of fresh air to these ears.
This review misses the mark. Thick, lush tunes to soak up, like a fine scotch as you aptly point out. Melancholy sounds pretty sweet here folks. Sam nails it on this album.
I was so disappointed to see this review for Sam's debut album. I believe this is some of his strongest songwriting to date, and is a real interpretation of what his life has been like since the everybodyfields parted ways. The songs are sad because he was sad. They are not monotonous or weighed down. They are real.
Even the remakes of previously released songs sound new, and, in my opinion, better than their predecessors. Sam's rearrangements make the best possible use of his band's talent, and the sound is both fresh and haunting.
We haven't been able to get this cd out of our player, and were lucky enough to catch Sam Quinn and Japan Ten live in Asheville. I think anyone who liked the everybodyfields would love this album, and, even in the melancholy of the songs, be comforted to know Sam is singing again.