Review- Samantha Crain: Gumshoe
Photo by Atlas Fielding
You may have seen her over the past decade in concerts nationally and internationally opening for many well-known artists and at festival appearances. She has recently been involved in several film and TV soundtrack projects including contributing a wonderful cover version of Cyndi Lauper’s classic “Time After Time” for Reservation Dogs on FX.
Samantha Crain is of Choctaw heritage from Shawnee, Oklahoma and has been writing and recording her own music since 2007. Her new album, Gumshoe, released on May 2nd via Real Kind Records is her seventh full-length album. Crain’s most recent releases are her last LP A Small Death in 2020, and the 2021 EP I Guess We Live Here Now.
She also composed the score of the film Fancy Dance which won awards at the Sundance festival and for Drowned Land, a new feature documentary about the Kiamichi River which flows through Choctaw land in southeastern Oklahoma. The Kiamichi is name-checked in “B-Attitudes,” one of the singles already released from Gumshoe. It’s a song of trying to find one’s own place in the world: “I want a place to call my own, somewhere I belong / A place that I can care for that will hold me til I die.” Many of the songs on the new album reflect a look inward and the discovery of truths about ourselves and the world around us. The lyrics are beautiful poetry set to acoustic instruments and tuned percussion which allow Crain’s vocals to soar. Some performances are reminiscent of Kate Bush; others more like Sheryl Crow, but all very much in her own voice.
Other tracks already released include “Ridin Out the Storm,” “Dart,” and “Dragonfly” each bringing Indie Rock vibes. Other tracks on the more upbeat side include “Trap Door” and “Boilermaker.” The title track “Gumshoe” shows Crain’s more personal introspection with deeper lyrics and a more emotional read. “Fool’s Paradise,” “Melatonin,” and “Neptune Baby” are also on this quieter side. “Old Hallicrafter Radio” deserves special mention as a fitting final chapter of the record. The use of muted horns in different combinations throughout the tracks is a highlight of the album and is a worthy accompaniment to Sam’s powerful voice.
The official release for Gumshoe says the tracks “blend summery Americana and folk-hued rock” which is a fine way of describing Samantha Crain’s music. She’ll open a huge headlining tour with a pair of home-state shows in Oklahoma before heading out on a 42-date run that includes numerous cities in the UK, Europe, and North America through the end of July.
Find out more about Samantha Crain at the links below:
