{"id":760104,"date":"2016-12-01T11:06:36","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T16:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/?p=760104"},"modified":"2016-12-01T11:06:36","modified_gmt":"2016-12-01T16:06:36","slug":"red-sammy-some-charming-trespassers-true-believer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/2016\/12\/01\/red-sammy-some-charming-trespassers-true-believer\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Sammy & Some Charming Trespassers: ‘True Believer’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"redsammyb\"It\u2019s been a joy to listen to the maturation of Adam Trice through the years. The Baltimore singer, who is the brainchild of folk group Red Sammy, has come into his own as a growling street poet who leans heavily on Depression-era guitars and lush strings. Whereas his ambition got in the way three releases ago, with \u201cA Cheaper Kind Of Love Song,\u201d he\u2019s since toned back the rock and smartly unplugged instruments that he never appeared to have much use for to begin with.<\/span><\/p>\n

That trend continues on his latest eight-song set, \u201cTrue Believer.\u201d Billed as Red Sammy & Some Charming Trespassers, this is the warmest, most competent Red Sammy release to date. Still prominent is Trice\u2019s Tom Waits-inspired gruff singing voice and that 1933 National Resonator guitar; gone are all drums and an electricity that never quite suited the singer the way he wanted it to. With the addition of a sad cello and an even more melodramatic violin, this set aims for introspection and doesn\u2019t mind the tears that might have to fall in order to achieve it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most memorable is \u201cBarefoot In Baltimore,\u201d a country-leaning jingle that could serve as the set\u2019s college radio single. Not only is it one of the more up-tempo tracks here, but it also grabs your attention far quicker than its contemporaries. Then, as the final minute commences and Sarah Kennedy\u2019s tasteful violin provides a theatrical backdrop, a set of gang vocals takes centerstage and the communal ethos add a shoe-gazing party atmosphere that is often hard for lesser artists to accomplish.<\/span><\/p>\n

The follow-up, \u201cChickenwire,\u201d slows it down with ease, proving again that Red Sammy works best when it wants to go full-on ballad. The structure is simple, but the accompanying strings add an impossible beauty and a sophisticated layer that this band has never before offered. John Decker\u2019s Resonator then rounds the production out as Trice hits listeners with his most crushing lyric: \u201cFrom the outside looking in \/ I see you\u2019ve made a better friend \/ Broken heart in a frame \/ Here comes the refrain.\u201d It\u2019s hopelessly hopeless and all the better for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost as dour is the set\u2019s epic, \u201cSanta Ana Wildfire.\u201d Spacey and poignant, it\u2019s the only track that reaches beyond the five-minute mark and while it constantly sits on the edge of climax, it, somewhat miraculously, never bubbles over. Instead, it\u2019s punctuated with Becca Jane Edwards\u2019 haunting backing harmonies that set a tone that\u2019s drenched in atmosphere. In fact, her work is perhaps the secret weapon of the entire collection \u2014 there\u2019s something about those two voices coming together that will eat at your dreams after invading your subconscious.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHeaven The Electric Sky\u201d takes that added element and produces a worldly, Native American-style anthem, complete with the consistent pound of a single background drum. Playing off a riff that\u2019s both repetitive and familiar, these two-and-a-half minutes are almost entirely centered around chant-like vocals that call back and forth between our two lead singers. It\u2019s a first for Red Sammy and the band actually wears it well, providing a sense of authenticity with the allure of such a mysteriously attractive approach to songwriting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other spots fade in and out of significance. Opener \u201cCaribou\u201d kicks things off in adequate fashion, leaning heavily on the Americana aspect of the group\u2019s formula. And then \u201cI Knew You Better\u201d ticks up the mood just a tiny bit, but when compared with \u201cBarefoot,\u201d it shrinks underneath its predecessor. Perhaps the most forgettable effort here, the song\u2019s simplicity proves to be its downfall. It\u2019s inoffensive, sure \u2014 and it definitely beats a good amount of Trice\u2019s past work \u2014 but on a record of acoustic songs, it blends in just a little too much.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet that\u2019s a minor quibble for an album unapologetic in its intentions. With \u201cTrue Believer\u201d Red Sammy & Some Charming Trespassers establish themselves as a tender, understated group that has as much success tugging on heartstrings as it does telling stories. Nearly a decade into his career as a musician, Adam Trice has found the formula that suits him best: Strong strings, affecting backing harmonies, and a palpable humanity that pierces through with each rusty note his voice emulates.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI build this life inside a crooked frame \/ Everything looks the same, the rules of the game, some pleasure and pain \/ Well I\u2019m getting too fat, my hair\u2019s getting too thin, where do I begin?\u201d the band\u2019s leader sings on \u201cWestern Bound.\u201d It took him a bit, but this is a set of songs that suggests Adam Trice and Red Sammy have finally done just that: Begin again.<\/span><\/p>\n

*** 3 STARS OUT OF 4 ***<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a joy to listen to the maturation of Adam Trice through the years. The Baltimore singer, who is the brainchild of folk group Red Sammy, has come into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-760104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760104\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}