Texas music. That impossibly large and infinitely popular subgenre of country, rock, roots and all things southern; bloggers such as Rita Ballou at Rawhide & Velvet devote much of their time and attention to the scene, so it seems almost reductive for a writer like myself (who is relatively new to such things) to try and adequately feature an act from that subculture of the music industry. Yet, in many ways, Sam Riggs seem to transcend and defy the geographical limitations of Texas music without abandoning the true heart of it or the fans that power it, making him accessible to a wide range of people.
From the first note of opening track ‘Long Shot’ on his new album ‘Outrun The Sun’ with band The Night People, we get a sense Sam isn’t pandering to a particular group of people or a certain demographic. Instead, he weaves modern country and arena rock effortlessly, without any of the pretentious artifice that typically comes with similar sonic attempts on mainstream country radio. His vocals have a certain roughened twang but it comes across naturally rather than deliberately put on, allowing him a smooth delivery and an instant likeability. And fans are responding; his current single ‘Hold On And Let Go’ (a far more traditionally-based and fiddle-accentuated ballad) has reached #6 on CMT Pure and #7 on the Texas Music Chart, a clear indication for his heartfelt performance and honest, simple lyricism. His previous single ‘When The Lights Go Out’ (from the EP ‘Lighthouse’) did even better, making it to #1 on CMT Pure, while ‘Hold On And Let Go’ made it onto the Texas Music Chart’s Top 100 Songs of 2014. With this kind of following, it’s perhaps surprising more people haven’t heard of him.
Maybe that is set to change. Upbeat, youthful driving song ‘Collide’ was recently featured on ABC’s Nashville and this latest album has been raved about by the likes of The Boot, Country Weekly, Billboard, Engine 145, Day Trotter and Texas Music Magazine. He picked up several Texas-based awards in 2014, and has sold more than 30,000 digital singles alongside over 10,000 albums, not bad for an independent artist who has only recently come on the scene. This kind of success and praise is more than warranted, with ‘Outrun The Sun’ encompassing a wide range of influences within the wheelhouses of country and rock; from the harsher, dramatic vibe of ‘Angola’s Lament’, to the more mainstream roots-country-pop of ‘Come Back Down’ (that also includes the electronic sound of a record spinning backwards), to the rocked-up bluegrass of ‘Oilfield Town’.
It feels grounded, though, and that’s what is so starkly clear about the record. Nothing about it feels forced, and while plenty of it is radio-friendly it never quite reaches the level of polish that has become standard fare on the format. Somewhere between the Dixie Chicks and Will Hoge lives Sam, telling his simple stories that remain devoid of clichés or well-trodden paths (‘Fire And Dynamite’ is a perfect example of his swift steer away from stereotypical lyrics). It’s endearing, and sort of disappointingly refreshing, in that this sense of honesty should not be so rare to find within the parameters in which he us making music. Even for Texas music (or at least, what I tend to hear of it), it’s rather nice to hear less about beer and girls and more about the deeper affairs of the heart and the more complex conflicts of life.
I am confident this is not going to be Sam Riggs’ best album. I feel there is more to come from this capable vocalist, songwriter and musician that only grazes the surface on ‘Outrun The Sun’. But this is a damn good place to start.
