Central Texas singer-songwriter Sam Baker releases his long-awaited fifth album, Land of Doubt, on June 21, 2017.
The recording represents a deepening of the approach Baker has pursued since his 2004 debut albumMercy – lyrics pared down to their essence set against the spare backdrop of folk-rock instruments used in a chamber-music way.
But there are a few new twists as well. Working in Nashville for the first time with producer Neilson Hubbard, Baker uses the ’50s-jazz trumpet playing of Don Mitchell and the sustained guitar textures of Will Kimbrough (producer/guitarist for Rodney Crowell and Todd Snider) to frame the lyrics with a kind of chamber-music folk-rock and to break up the ten vocal numbers with five cinematic-sounding instrumental interludes. Baker himself switches from acoustic to electric guitar for this project.
When Baker first emerged 13 years ago, the chief story was how he had survived a 1986 terrorist bombing in Cuzco, Peru, to reinvent himself as a first-rank singer-songwriter. Five albums later, however, the main story now is his continuing growth as a songwriter – broadening his range and deepening his impact. He continues to perform widely in North America and Europe.
He has also evolved as a painter, and he will enjoy his first major one-man show in Santa Fe in September.
SAM BAKER · JUNE 2017 UK TOUR
Fri 23 Glasgow St Andrews in the Square
Sat 24 Gateshead Caedmon Hall, Gateshead Central Library
Sun 25 Queensbury, Bradford Black Dyke Mills Heritage Venue
Mon 26 Sheffield The Greystones
Tue 27 Leicester The Musician
Wed 28 London What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-Servicemens Club
Thu 29 Bristol The Tunnels
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