Whenever I think of Red Sammy, I think of Adam Trice's just-gravelly-enough voice and a resonator guitar. The echoing quality of those guitar lines are kind of the perfect complement to Trice. Red Sammy songs without resonator are pretty good, but they always sound naked to my ears.

Red Sammy That Raging Heart (self-released)

There's plenty of resonator on this set. Trice's songs still spring from the blue-collar streets of Baltimore, an almost-everflowing stream of inspiration. Those golden resonator moments lend a timeless feel, and Trice never gets dewy-eyed about his subject matter. That tough-yet-gorgeous dynamic is the tension that produces what I think of as the Red Sammy sound.

Trice has tried almost everything during more than a decade of recording, from music to accompany poems to more (and less) rock sounds. This set finds him in his familiar rough-edged balladeer territory, kinda like Steve Earle without the tendency to find anthemic hooks.

Very much a traditional album for Trice, this set does show off a maturity in his songwriting voice. He's doing just enough--and not trying to do too much. Let the music (and the imagination) fill in the gaps. As we get older, we learn that slowing down and doing a bit less has its benefits. Settle in and let this take you to another place.

Jon Worley