Sam Baker (TX)

Way too often and improperly, artists are described by comparison to others – but in the case of Sam Baker, the likening of his songs to “Leonard Cohen’s, if Cohen had been a Baptist raised in West Texas”* rings startlingly true as a means of introduction. At the same time, you are unlikely to come across a more original voice anywhere around. Baker is a literary songwriter, his roots-country songs are vivid, compelling and even haunting narratives of people, places and times. He grew up in a prairie town, Itasca, TX, where he was exposed to a wide array of music by his church organist mother, and country blues loving father. A defining moment in Baker’s life came in 1986 when he was gravely injured by a bomb while traveling on a train in Peru. His journey back to physical, emotional, and spiritual health formed the quiet and passionate view of the world we hear about in his songs. He has released three critically acclaimed albums, and is looking forward to his 2013 release, Say Grace.

* Marc Eisen ~ The Daily Page