"Tell Me Something Different" is the second album from Americana/Western artist Sam Cregger. Sam uses a unique blend of sounds to make his vision come to life on this album. The very open, airy feel to it places you out in the middle of a country field mesmerized as you're staring into the distance. Cregger's influences are pure as you can hear Bob Dylan, Fleet Foxes, and Ray LaMontagne as the artists that impacted his music the most.
"Tell Me Something Different" isn't a cowboy album, its more of a modern Dylan-esque record with the acoustic guitars and the harmonica to boot. "In The Dirt" presents the most upbeat track on the album and part of me was wishing more of the songs on "Tell Me Something Different" followed suit. The song made me bob my head and feel the energy coming through my speakers. Song such as "Still Love" and "Out West" also reminded me of saloon songs that I really connected with and provided me a very relaxing listening experience.
To be honest, "Tell Me Something Different" does require some patience to listen to. The album moves at a very slow pace and could deter some people from the longer tracks such as "Finding John Duphrane" and "For My Mama". Nevertheless, Cregger's voice is very warm and inviting and you can feel the amount of emotion put in to each and every note he sings. It's very unique to find an artist like Sam Cregger nowadays, so when I came across this record I was given hope, hope that there are still people out in the world who use older artists as their main influences and aren't afraid to stand out from the crowd like many are.
Final Summary:
"Tell Me Something Different" sticks to its theme and doesn't let go of it. The jangly guitars and wailing harmonicas provide the structure for the Americana/Western sound and Cregger's voice compliments the structure nicely. The only recommendation I would make is to add a bit more upbeat tracks on the next album to provide more contrast. The slower songs are good but it gets a bit overwhelming on some of the longer tracks. But all in all, Cregger shines on this album and certainly is a unique, modern artist that you should look out for.
Rating: 7.7/10
Be sure to support his new album as well on Kickstarter!
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