If you have never heard of Sam Hunt,
don't worry! However chances are, this will definitely change this
year, as his name is traded as one of the next big things coming from
Nashville.
Sam Hunt was born in 1984 in a small Georgia town, where he started to pursue College Football. However when it seemed that his successes there would be limited, he moved to Nashville as a songwriter. In September of 2013 he independently released a first single ('Raised On It') and a month later a 15-track digital album via his website, called 'Between The Pines - Accoustic Mixtape'. Early in 2014 he was eventually signed by MCA Nashville with the first official single 'Leave The Night On' currently receiving good radio airplay.
So while we still have to wait for the official major label debute album to be released, the self-produced 'Between The Pines' gives hugely exciting insights into what hopefully to expect!
Sam Hunt seems to come at the right time, or maybe he is a product of the time and he was brought here in time. According to him, he grew up in this rural environment with a natural bond to country music and in particular its storytelling focus on lyrics. While this is not really that unusual, what happened next, was: he got fascinated by hip-hop and the way that genre uses rhythms both in instruments as well as vocal phrasing. But don't worry!
By building on both of these influences, Sam Hunt is able to create music that does draw from both influences in a genuine and natural way. It does not sound artificial or like painfully trying to bring two ends together, that do not belong. When you listen to 'Between The Pines', the R&B / hip-hop bass rhythms and phrasing get clearly noticed throughout the album, but both carry the country voice graciously and even cuddle up with some accoustic guitars.
On top of this so strange and yet to perfect combination are lying choruses with hooks that creep inside your brain and you won't forget so soon - simply because you do not want to.
Listen to the very first single from last year 'Raised On It' which I first discovered on itunes: while it starts out not so much different to other Bro-Country songs, the chorus completely turns it around with its easy sing-along-vocals and the accoustic-guitar driven rhythm. How can you NOT tap your feet, and shake all other parts of your body capable of, with the song???
There are songs that lean more into an R&B direction, like the excellent 'Ex To See'. But again, while the song is driven by the drum beat, the word play in the lyrics and the accoustic instruments guiding the song, are pure country.
Check out 'House Party': no deep spectacular lyrics other than about what the title indicates. But again melody and hooks are so infectious, that you feel like dancing right away. And there are no noisy electric guitars (okay, it is called "accoustic mixtapes"), but they are not missed either in order to create a fun and groovy song!
Another highlight: 'Bottle It Up'. We all wish we could bottle up the best feelings and emotions in life, maybe pass it around and drink it down.
'Vandalizer' starts off with the excerpt of the Fugees-version of 'Killing Me Softly', before turning into a low key emotional ballad about love lost.
One of my favorites is 'Vacation' about being on vacation - and potentially staying there. What a great line: "ain't got no static on my reggae station, - I'm here, I'm gone - I'm on vacation". Let me put this on my answering machine!
And the real surprise about Sam Hunt is, that you may be more familiar with him, then you think - already today! Because he is the writer of the following big hits: 'Come Over' (Kenny Chesney), 'Cop Car' (Keith Urban) and 'We Are Tonight' (Billy Currington). All 3 songs are on the album and they stand the test against the famous hit versions.
Sam Hunt's 'Between The Pines' to me is one of the most exciting and refreshing new sounds in a long time and I can only hope that the official album will not alter that sound, the way it happened with the Locash Cowboys and their major label debut, which bent their sound so much, it broke in the end.
Excited and looking forward to the album due sometime this year hopefully, I clearly give the "advance album" 5 stars out of 5.
Artist: Sam Hunt (http://www.samhunt.com/)
Album: "Between The Pines - Accoustic Mixtape"
Release Date: October 2013 / Producer: Sam Hunt
Sam Hunt was born in 1984 in a small Georgia town, where he started to pursue College Football. However when it seemed that his successes there would be limited, he moved to Nashville as a songwriter. In September of 2013 he independently released a first single ('Raised On It') and a month later a 15-track digital album via his website, called 'Between The Pines - Accoustic Mixtape'. Early in 2014 he was eventually signed by MCA Nashville with the first official single 'Leave The Night On' currently receiving good radio airplay.
So while we still have to wait for the official major label debute album to be released, the self-produced 'Between The Pines' gives hugely exciting insights into what hopefully to expect!
Sam Hunt seems to come at the right time, or maybe he is a product of the time and he was brought here in time. According to him, he grew up in this rural environment with a natural bond to country music and in particular its storytelling focus on lyrics. While this is not really that unusual, what happened next, was: he got fascinated by hip-hop and the way that genre uses rhythms both in instruments as well as vocal phrasing. But don't worry!
By building on both of these influences, Sam Hunt is able to create music that does draw from both influences in a genuine and natural way. It does not sound artificial or like painfully trying to bring two ends together, that do not belong. When you listen to 'Between The Pines', the R&B / hip-hop bass rhythms and phrasing get clearly noticed throughout the album, but both carry the country voice graciously and even cuddle up with some accoustic guitars.
On top of this so strange and yet to perfect combination are lying choruses with hooks that creep inside your brain and you won't forget so soon - simply because you do not want to.
Listen to the very first single from last year 'Raised On It' which I first discovered on itunes: while it starts out not so much different to other Bro-Country songs, the chorus completely turns it around with its easy sing-along-vocals and the accoustic-guitar driven rhythm. How can you NOT tap your feet, and shake all other parts of your body capable of, with the song???
There are songs that lean more into an R&B direction, like the excellent 'Ex To See'. But again, while the song is driven by the drum beat, the word play in the lyrics and the accoustic instruments guiding the song, are pure country.
Check out 'House Party': no deep spectacular lyrics other than about what the title indicates. But again melody and hooks are so infectious, that you feel like dancing right away. And there are no noisy electric guitars (okay, it is called "accoustic mixtapes"), but they are not missed either in order to create a fun and groovy song!
Another highlight: 'Bottle It Up'. We all wish we could bottle up the best feelings and emotions in life, maybe pass it around and drink it down.
'Vandalizer' starts off with the excerpt of the Fugees-version of 'Killing Me Softly', before turning into a low key emotional ballad about love lost.
One of my favorites is 'Vacation' about being on vacation - and potentially staying there. What a great line: "ain't got no static on my reggae station, - I'm here, I'm gone - I'm on vacation". Let me put this on my answering machine!
And the real surprise about Sam Hunt is, that you may be more familiar with him, then you think - already today! Because he is the writer of the following big hits: 'Come Over' (Kenny Chesney), 'Cop Car' (Keith Urban) and 'We Are Tonight' (Billy Currington). All 3 songs are on the album and they stand the test against the famous hit versions.
Sam Hunt's 'Between The Pines' to me is one of the most exciting and refreshing new sounds in a long time and I can only hope that the official album will not alter that sound, the way it happened with the Locash Cowboys and their major label debut, which bent their sound so much, it broke in the end.
Excited and looking forward to the album due sometime this year hopefully, I clearly give the "advance album" 5 stars out of 5.
Artist: Sam Hunt (http://www.samhunt.com/)
Album: "Between The Pines - Accoustic Mixtape"
Release Date: October 2013 / Producer: Sam Hunt
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