Sam Lowry
The September Letters
© 2003 Higher Step Records (683087001728)
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Dark Americana Singer-Songwriter
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Sam Lowry spins tales of broken relationships and the fool's hope that moves us all from one disaster scene to the next, like some mid-west Raymond Carver with a guitar. Over the course of two critically acclaimed albums and shows, ranging from gas money gigs in coffee houses and tiny bars to festivals like MACRock 2001 and Bloomingtonfest 2002, Lowry has slowly been spreading his fractured folk across the country. Lowry and his occasional, ever changing backing band the Circumstance have garnered rave reviews from audiences ranging from the alt.country crowd to fans of singer-songwriters to the underground indie-music scene.
Over the course of his first two albums, Lowry has delivered these tales of lessons learned and trains derailed with the same weathered detachment of Leonard Cohen or Bill Callahan of (smog) over a lo-fi americana, alt country sound. His latest release, "The September Letters", finds him further developing his sound with new colors and sounds ranging from flute and accordion to toy piano and a five piece choir. These new elements, along with the touch of gloss brought by co-producer Marc Chevalier (Ben Folds, Sixpence None the Richer), makes "The September Letters" not only Lowry's most melodic effort to date, but also showcases his evolution as a songwriter. The album details the complicated relationships of the everyday. The small noble, and not so noble reasons we choose to be with others. The commitments of guilt, the despair of solitude the belief in love and all the rest. Lowry will tour the United States and Canada extensively in support of "The September Letters" January - May of 2004.
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Some you like immediately, and the rest grow on you. Great CD.
author: Geoff BakerI've had this CD for a while now and still like it a lot. "Dark" is the word you might first use to describe Sam Lowry's sound, but "The September Letters" has a hell of a lot of simply beautiful moments, too, especially on the climactic last track, "Sometimes." The general feel might remind you of Nick Cave, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen, but Lowry's voice is his own, and his songwriting is full of knowledge and refuses to compromise. Some of the tunes, like "Whiskey Sermon," are tight, intense stories, while others are looser meditations that pull you in slowly. But all of it ultimately pulls you in. Often, when I'm listening to this CD, I have to fight the urge to nod my head in agreement at the end of a song and say, "Too true, too true."