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A
lot can happen in a few years. Sam Baker can tell you that a lot can
happen in a few seconds. Back in 1986, he was travelling in a train
through Peru, when the carriage he was in was blown apart by a terrorist
bomb, killing fellow passengers and leaving him clinging to life.
Deafened and gravely injured, Baker spent the better part of the next
decade working on both a physical and spiritual recovery. It was through
storytelling and the art of songwriting that Baker began to make sense
of a sometimes senseless world.
Baker's
songs are pictures sketched in short, spare lines and lay bare the
honest truths and simple details of life. His vocals are fragile, almost
spoken, and totally absorbing. These
days, Sam is becoming one of the biggest underground Americana names of
recent years. His debut album, Mercy, gained much critical acclaim,
largely by word-of-mouth. Within days of its release in Europe, his
second album, Pretty World, was sitting at the Number 1 slot on the
Euro-Americana Chart and his increasing popularity led him to the
headline slot of the 2008 Maverick Festival. His
new album Cotton, is not released in the UK until September but is
already getting repeated airplay on UK radio such as BBC Radio 2 Bob
Harris' programmes.
"Magnificent,
one of the great albums of the year". Bob Harris
"Imagine
Steve Earle, Shane MacGowan and Johnny Cash jamming in a back street
Austin, Texas bar when in comes Nick Cave and the spirit of Townes Van
Zandt. Rock 'N' Reel
"This
is understated, affecting music, and even the songs that don't quote old
gospel standards sound like you've always known them" Mojo
"A
fantastic album that is guaranteed to open your mind and your
heart." Maverick Magazine
"Baker
creates something that buzzes with truth and honesty framed by alt.
country melodies, arrangements of earthy elegance and a voice of
gravelly grace" The Irish Times
Special
guests for this show are The Haley Sisters, Jo-Ann and Becky, who
have appeared at leading venues, festivals, theatres and clubs
throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe, gaining massive popularity by
virtue of their natural talent, dedication and down to earth
personalities. In 1993 guitarist Brian Smith joined them, having
previously worked in Nashville, Tennessee, on Crystal Gayle’s “Three
Good Reasons” album.
“The
great undiscovered natural talent of the UK music scene”
Alan Cackett, Maverick magazine
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