Songs in the Night

Songs in the Night

With a voice that sounds as if it’s been scraped against the road, young twentysomething Samantha Crain of Shawnee, Oklahoma comes across as much more experienced than her years. Her debut album, 2009’s Songs In the Night, is chockfull of spirited jamborees played on tired nights, her acoustic guitar trailing behind the beat with a perfect laziness. “Rising Sun” begins with that simple acoustic guitar and her admitting “I will sing with the fog in my throat.” This “fog” rolls in as the band adds its color wheel of sparse electric guitars and supporting backing vocals. There’s an alt-country tilt to the title track and “Long Division” where guitarist Stephen Sebastian uncorks his arsenal of barroom riffs. “Bananafish Revolution” drops the groove a dark notch, encroaching on creepy Jolie Holland territory, while “Bullfight (Change Your Mind)” steps up the rodeo drive with spaghetti western licks, a whistling choir, and girl group backing vocals that play towards Crain’s mostly subdued pop side.   

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