Sam Houston

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The soundtrack of my life has been pretty well constructed since July, when I first heard some of Sam Houston’s music and filled my bucket, with ‘April’ at the forefront of my list. But, now there’s competition for pride of place, with ‘Shine On Me’.

Sam’s latest song, released in early November, features that soft-bluesy tone that I, along with the 23 thousand people who streamed ‘April’, fell in love with and now just won’t give up. A track where he truly shows his skills, the New Jersey-native became the bassist, pianist, producer, and singer – a home-y vibe, where his hard work outweighs the typical convention; he makes it look easy.

Euphonious vocals, rich but still mellow, it’s like a full-bodied deep red wine, warm and enveloping that takes hold of your heart tenderly but in an almost crushing embrace and flushes your chest. Sam’s earnest tone, almost bitter-sweet when the lyrics, empathetic but real, whisper their way into your ear.

“I think that music is such an excellent way to comfortably speak on topics that usually make you cringe. This particular story is not one of my own, but one that I know thousands upon thousands can relate to. Depression.” The contemporary soul artist says.

Using his music to make a statement, he endeavors to soothe the aching bones and burning lungs of the people putting on their brave faces every day.

“It gets to the point where you hold it in so long that you can’t contain your thoughts anymore and you just blow. It isn’t music to make people sad or somber. It’s simply me using my growing platform to let people know that there are people who can relate to them.”

Evident in the second verse, Sam takes on the role of the conflicted in ‘Shine on Me’. Dialogue between him and his conscious, Sam opens himself up to the difficult battles that he’s trying so resolutely to ease. “Lately your thoughts, they’ve been asinine. You think this Earth is where your soul resides?” his conscious asks him, the lyric an articulate portrayal of the heart-wrenching inner-conflict this song campaigns to soften.

Coming up soon, the video for ‘Shine on Me’ is going to “illustrate the metaphor that sunshine represents and of happiness. More so focusing on us as a whole, as mankind, rather than one person,” Sam states.

Soft-spoken, honey tones against a backdrop of sheer love and hope – Sam Houston is the voice of the oncoming harmony, the alliance where we, even those who don’t resonate personally with the meaning of the song, understand and – more importantly – empathize. - Megan