Sam Baker appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in 2004 with his glorious debut Mercy, which in turn was followed my favorite record of 2007 Pretty World. Baker’s late life music career is remarkable considering any variety of factors, but perhaps the most impressive is his near deafness. In 1986 while traveling in Peru, Baker was a victim of a terrorist bombing. The train he was in was hit, resulting in several fatalities. With massive blood loss, Baker was almost among them. He not only had shrapnel in his leg, but suffered a loss of hearing, brain damage, and more. He described his recovery with the following words: “I could remember things in the past; I just couldn’t remember  words. I couldn’t remember the word for ‘chair’; I would have to say, ‘I need that thing for sitting.’ I couldn’t focus [my attention]. For twenty-something days, I couldn’t move, couldn’t get out of bed. My hands were blown up, so I couldn’t do anything with my hands. I couldn’t use my legs. I couldn’t read, couldn’t hear, and couldn’t think of words.â€
Slowly, words came back to him. He picked up a guitar and learned to play it left handed, using his gnarled right hand to grip. He vowed to create a great piece of art. Rededicating himself to writing in 2000, Mercy became that piece of art. With people like Walt Wilins, Tim Lorsch, Mike Daly, and Lloyd Maines in the mix, the first two of Baker’s records were characterized by acoustic guitar, violin, oboe, and pedal steel guitars. Rambling along with Baker’s distinctive, almost spoken word vocal style, the music was pure Texas with lyrics worthy of Townes Van Zandt or Kris Kristofferson.
Billed as the third record of Baker’s remarkable trilogy, Cotton has a lot to live up to. Though it is easily the weakest of the trilogy in my view, it is also the most distinctive with its piano coda that intertwines throughout. Several songs would have fit well on either of the first two records including standouts like “Mennonite†(the sweetest ode to back seat lovemaking you’ll ever hear) and “Who’s Gonna Be Your Man.â€Â Other songs incorporate piano and pedal steel into beautiful lush landscapes that reveal a perhaps even rawer vocal from Baker than ever before, such is the case with the gorgeous “Angel Hairâ€. Though not all of Baker’s musical experimentation on Cotton work as well, the record is still chocked full of great songs. Check him out here http://www.sambakermusic.com/index.html
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd