SAM PAYNE: Railroad Blessing

Sam Payne

Railroad Blessing

© 2003 Sam Payne (725906461822)

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With sounds from high folk to big funk, Sam Payne is a storyteller of the first order; each yarn spun through a voice as clean as a desert sky.

tracks

1 Spaceman
2 Ohio Son
3 Beneath One Star
4 Good-Night Coming Gently
5 Cost You One Kiss
6 Railroad Blessing
7 A Mother's Prayer
8 Everest
9 Brothers Road
10 The Last Time I Heard Something True
11 The Big Time
12 Daffodil

notes

A spin of Sam Payne's "Railroad Blessing" is like walking into a party--everyone stops to look, all itching to talk to you (it's why they came, after all). It's quite a crew, too. And with a menu like this, who's gonna be first?

There's an American astronaut, fresh from five months aboard the doomed Space Station Mir. Space was great, but it's lonely up there.

There's Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind climber to summit Everest. Some think that sort of a climb is something like marriage. Other's think it's more like rehab.

Or what about that old guy in the corner? His son is suiting up for war. Dad's a patriot, but he prays that the country won't squander that young life. It's the biggest gift the old man can give, after all.

The girl by the window was just given the brush-off by a guy in the woods who used the old "I'd marry you but I've actually been raised from a baby to be a sacrifice to Mother Earth to ensure a bountiful harvest" line. She's thinking about going back to him anyway.

Those two talking in solemn tones at the table are twins. Used to hate each other. Their names are Jacob and Esau.

There's a table full of priests, frowning as they watch a rocket take off on television.

In the center of the room is a coffin, inhabited by a guy who slid so quietly out of this life that a lot of people didn't notice. Not like him to miss a gathering like this.

Here's what folks who've been to the party already are saying about it:

"Payne is one of those few musicians who can successfully combine both songwriting and stage performing. He can write poignant and meaningful lyrics, combine them with a melodic hook, and perform them in a voice that makes you want to close your eyes and drift away."
-The Spectrum


"Payne delivers his riveting folktales with passion, emotionally stirring hooks, and an almost supernatural ability to tell a story."
-The Independent

"Listening to the lyrics--that song about his grandfather; Holy Cow! Some of the best lyrics I've ever heard."
-The Glenn Beck Program

reviews

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  • Long Live another Great Ballad Writer
    author: Stacy

    This album rides the rails of poetry, each song a story that allows the listener to travel along with the singer to each of his destinations. With words of depth, Sam Payne creates lyrics and riveting music that remain "in the corners of my mind" long after the CD is finished. It gives me great joy to see this singers success, for there are far too few people who care about the words, and the story thus suffers. Sam is a poet and a balladeer, a rare and wonderful type of musician, thus his music needs to be shared and treasured.

  • A Must!
    author: T Bird

    Knowing his roots (aka his pop), this is nothing short of great! Buy it an enjoy!!!

  • If you like John Mayer, you'll love Sam Payne.
    author: TS Woolley

    I'm not comparing Sam to John, it's just that when you hear the "freshness" of the CD you think about the first time you heard John Mayer and why you picked up his album after only hearing one song. The same with Sam. When listening to the CD though you think "Wow! This guy is so talented, each song has a different flavor, I wonder what's coming up next?" I can compare it to like when one is tired of the same old fast food and just wishes for something to awaken one's palet - it's the same thing only it's a treat for your ears and your senses. Thanks Sam for sharing this with us.

  • Awesome!
    author: Stacy Dallin

    I think the music is fantastic! I can't wait for the artists next CD to come out. My husband took the CD to work and plays it over the store P.A. system -- he loves it too.

  • "Railroad Blessing" is an artful blend of music, lyric, and narrative imagery
    author: Tad Trueblood, The Spectrum

    There are moments when you just know. The first time I heard Sam Payne play, his opening chords caught me and nearly overwhelmed me. In that moment, I sensed I was listening to something more than a rare and wonderful musical talent--which he certainly is; I knew this was something true. That particular song now joins 11 other original tracks on Sam Payneís new CD entitled “Railroad Blessing”, produced by Steve Lemmon of Spiral Recording Studios. Stylistically, it’s an amazingly diverse recording, but tied together by a common thematic thread. “We move around alot, but nearly all the songs somehow explore human love,” says the young singer/songwriter. “The album always comes back to that; exploring the exhilarating, terrifying colors of love.” Payne is hard to categorize, drawing from Folk and Bluegrass traditions on one hand, and Jazz, Scat and Funk influences on the other. “Railroad Blessings” is a superb showcase for his cross-pollenating style, combining elements reminiscient of James Taylor, John Denver and Dave Matthews with a pinch of Dylan. On either guitar or piano he evokes real emotion in an audience and his voice is as clear and strong and clean as a desert sky. But what unifies his myriad gifts is his love of lyric. The words in a Sam Payne song aren’t just convenient syllables, they’re at the core of his art. The words matter. Just as the poet strives to do, Payne uses lyrics to cast images in the listener’s mind, amplified and colored by voice and music. For example, take these lines from the album’s title track: Feel the engine’s fire and listen to her cries. let the steam boil down around you as she flies. . . Rocket out across the prarie. Yellow moon behind a sunset full of rust. Or the portrayal of a young soldier in “Ohio Son,” an exquisitely poignant song with special relevance as we collectively hold our breath over the looming Iraq crisis: And his blue eyes are on the horizon for a flicker of gray. ‘Cause there’s a thunderhead high on the desert and there’s a clock ticking low on the wall. In his heart, Sam Payne is a story-teller. With its artful blend of song, lyric and narrative imagery, “Railroad Blessings” is part album, part anthology. Its settings range from a space capsule smelling of cosmonauts, to the dust and guns of Mexico, to the frozen wall of Everest. The characters include an Italian kidnapper with a limp and a wood-fairy with a voice like a rusty wire. To me, it’s all about telling what happened.” he says, “The great stories, the ones with meaning, don’t preach. They just relate what happened, and the message flows from that. That’s what makes them real to us. That’s what makes them true.” Sing us more stories, Sam. It’s good to hear something true.

  • From tasty piano ballads to great big jazz/funk arrangements, "Railroad Blessi
    author: Kevin Jones, The Independent

    There are a surprising number of fine musicians and songwriters in southern Utah, I know most of them and I can¹t imagine any of them taking exception to a declaration that Sam Payne is the best. I¹ve followed Sam¹s progress as a writer and performer and have even had the great pleasure of sharing the stage with him on a handful of occasions. Describing Sam¹s rare gift as a tunesmith and lyricist is to exhaust most of the superlatives in the English language, and the glad tidings I¹m pleased to bring is that Sam has just completed his first full length professionally produced CD. The record, Railroad Blessing, is an absolute treasure that proves beyond any doubt that Mr. Payne has matured into a world-class talent. For those of you familiar with Sam¹s music, I know I¹m preaching to the choir, but for those of you who have yet to experience this man¹s way with a song and a story--this gem of a recording is all the evidence I need offer in support of my case. Do yourself a great big favor and get your hands on a copy. You¹re going to want to share it, and if you¹re having trouble trying to think up something to stuff in a stocking your search is over. The record is sensory gold-mine, thanks in large part to the impeccable arrangement, musicianship and production of Spiral Studios¹ whiz Steve Lemmon. Along with Ryan Tilby on Bass, guitar and mandolin, and long-time Sam Payne skinsman Korky Ollerton they set a table that allows Sam¹s soaring vocals to provide the centerpiece. I¹m going to leave it for Sam to elaborate on the many other terrific musicians who¹ve also made savory contributions to this sonic Banquet. Suffice it to say that this is a technical knock-out of an album that you¹ll have to hear to believe, and it will very likely bring Sam Payne to the attention of a much larger audience.

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