Sam Roberts

Sam Roberts is about to put the cold neighbors to the north on the American front burner. It’s a shame really, to simply refer to We Were Born In A Flame as a solid debut with great potential. Last year it won both Album of the Year and Rock Album of the Year at the Juno awards, and on top of that, Sam walked away with the coveted Artist of The Year. For those of you submersed in the lower-48, that’s the Canadian Grammy. Not bad for a debut by the last band you’d want to see lip-syncing in a skimpy dress. So needless to say, yeah, now that it’s been released here in the U.S., it certainly has some potential.

Canada may be more lax in areas, but regardless, the powers that be still don’t grant awards like that unless you have a couple of catchy radio songs they can market - and this album surely does. “Brother Down” has more or less been crammed down every Canadians ear drum the past year, but no ones complaining. Not only are the warm, passive rhythms a mastery of minimalism, it’s easily one of the finest radio rock songs ever written - destined to become an hourly staple on those “hip” adult contemporary dials down here. Support that with “Hard Road,” the Beatles-tinged “Paranoia” and “No Sleep,” and add some pop-punk in “Don’t Walk Away Eileen” and “On The Run,” and you have a well-rounded sampling. But was separates it from other debuts is that every song is a real gem. Start to finish, with bonus tracks on top - it’s a complete radio lifeline.

Sure a complement like that doesn’t exactly make it a must-have for your jaded American ears, weary of radio-friendly anything, but rest assured, this is an essential addition to the happy hour side of your collection.

See samrobertsband.com for more info.