Carter Sampson's 2016 masterpiece WILDER SIDE offered up a freedom to roam, safe in the knowledge that a hall of fame destiny was intact. Not an artist to dwell on acclaim, its 2018 successor kept the upward trajectory on track. All roads from Oklahoma were still sprinkled with the golden style of dust. The five year gap in full length releases between LUCKY and GOLD has been replicated right across a littered music landscape. Only the resolute survive, although faith was unmoved that Carter Sampson would re-surface with all the country-Americana credentials shining as bright as the title. If it's a fans prerogative to wallow in the past, an artist will certainly want to keep things moving forward. Across the ten tracks this new album bubbles with creative juices and cements a legacy.
The title track kicks things off with a whining country twang sinking straight into recognisable vocals meeting instant approval. We are now in 'embracing Carter Sampson territory' with the team behind her sculpting a soundscape to savour awash with strings and steel. Ok it's primarily Kyle Reid with minor help, but he's a mighty one. Following 'Gold' we enter the moodier waters housing second track 'Home', A song written on tour in the Netherlands and pontificating about a definition of home. The lyrics catch the essence of a travelling musician in a short three-minute muse. The opening trio concludes with a title sounding straight from a Nashville writing booth, but 'Drunk Text' is no contrived effort and heralds incisive and heartfelt writing.
Any release on the Horton Records label is going to deviate from the formulaic pile. Carter Sampson meets this in 'Black Blizzard' with the instrumental melange twisting and upwardly spiralling. Yet wherever this album goes, the thread back to the roots never frays. The halfway mark is celebrated by the countrified 'Yippie Yi Yo' providing the perfect vehicle for the achingly sincere vocals to hone their cords in a midst of fiddle and steel.
We learn from the background information that the first half was pre-pandemic recorded, while the second had lockdown constraints and relied on innovative virtual interaction. The challenge is to detect the shift, or not.
'Can't Stop Me Now' gently rolls into the second half, keeps things tight and compact, while earning the mantel of being the album's second single. The first unsurprisingly being 'Gold'. Things get a touch more earthy and roots-infused in 'Fingers to the Bone', you can even feel a hint of the blues. Obviously anything under the Americana umbrella is going to soak up influence from across the spectrum. An acoustic accompaniment on 'Today is Mine' is conducive for a pedestrian ballad to prosper. This track provides balance and is key to a strong album resonating.
Like so many optimum albums, the running length falls just a fraction shy of the forty-minute mark. We sail towards the conclusion with one of the album's more diverse offerings in 'Pray and Scream'. A song instantly drawing you into the lyrics. A skill that Carter Sampson has perfected in the past. As usual an evocative sound adds to the suspense. A very apt song title brings the curtain down. 'There's Always Next Year' may imply this one hasn't been great, but gladly the story sentiment may need not truly reflect real life. 2024 may be a great year for Carter Sampson, but with more certainty 2023 is set up to be a super one.
GOLD brings the music of Carter Sampson back into full focus. It confirms that the pivotal release from 2016 was one of the wisest tie ins from the decade. The Queen of Oklahoma (if it's true why not milk it, she says!) was thriving well before the pivotal moment and continues long after. Her return to touring is most welcome. Europe - UK - Birmingham - Kitchen Garden. The treasure from the dust bowl (OK, Tulsa is likely a cosmopolitan city) expands her music far and wide. The closer it gets; the better it gets.