RECORD REVIEWS - APRIL 2010

Red Sammy "Dog Hang Low"
                       ep







Red Sammy is the nom de plume of Baltimore's Adam Trice. He is the singer songwriter of these two records and also plays acoustic guitar throughout. All twelve songs (Four from the ep) feature full band arrangements with the normal rock touches along with the Americana touches of a banjo, pedal steel and saw. And that is the ground we are firmly affixed to here--Americana. There is a strong and steady feel of the road throughout these songs. And the best of them give the listener the feeling of that open highway on a hot desert day. Sure, this motif has been used before and will be again, but the traffic on that highway is not congested enough to block good songwriting like this. There is excellent banjo and slide guitar work throughout and some fine female vocals, especially on the ep. Trice's vocals are gruff in the direction of Tom Waits, but not as twisted. Sometimes they are a bit too breathy, but with the strong music and backup vocals, they can be quite effective. If you like the music of Woven Hand, Chris Isaak, Gram Parsons and many others of that ilk, you may want to give this band a listen. I look forward to their next live set, when I get the chance.


Favorite songs:
"To the Day" - This is from the ep and features some lead female vocals. It has a very nice psychedelic folk vibe which is always one of my favorite sounds.
"Songbird" - An outstanding road song that really swings and almost gives me motion sickness with the way it moves me. Excellent track.
"Turn Away" - A bit lower key here, but heavy on atmosphere and very moving.