2xLP BLACK VINYL

Sam Barber established himself as a country artist to watch with an EP, 2023's Million Eyes, that presented his deeply personal songs in simple, straightforward style, with no-frills arrangements anchored by his acoustic guitar. After enjoying breakthrough success with the singles "Straight and Narrow" and "Dancing in the Sky," Barber released his first full-length album, 2024's Restless Mind, which at once built on the strengths of his hits and doubled down on the darker side of his music. Filled with songs about bad luck, complicated relationships, and meditations on lives gone wrong, Restless Mind confirms Barber has no interest in sweetening his outlook for the sake of success, and the gravity of his stories is reinforced by spare, intimate production and instrumentation dominated by acoustic instruments. A double album that packs 28 songs into 94 minutes, Restless Mind includes sound bites of his family wondering out loud about the ways Sam has changed, adding depth to his lyrics about life lived on the edge. Guest vocals from Avery Anna (on "Indigo" and the title track) and Lily Fitts (on "Stopped in Hell") add different textures to the songs without dulling the impact of Barber's performances. At a time when country and pop music seem to be following similar paths, Restless Mind is a defiant, heartfelt message from a songwriter with no fear of bearing his soul and letting his rough edges show.

A1        Man You Raised    4:09
A2        Cold, Dark Place    3:00
A3        Thought of You    2:43
A4        G-PA    0:41
A5        Restless Mind  3:39
A6        Due Time    3:53
A7        Better Year    3:20
A8        Long Way To Go    2:58
B9        Bet On My Ghost    3:25
B10        Will You Be There    3:08
B11        76    3:18
B12        Jersey Giant    3:42
B13        Down The Road    3:53
B14        S.O.B    3:03
B15        Evil Place    4:18
C16        Gambler    3:27
C17        Morning Time    2:53
C18        Indigo  4:46
C19        Different Kind of Pains    2:49
C20        Streetlight    3:12
C21        Never Mine    4:03
D22        V    3:23
D23        Stopped in Hell  3:33
D24        Stay The Night    3:22
D25        Straight and Narrow    3:19
D26        Home Ain't Far    3:15
D27        Let Me Down    3:11
D28        You Know I Know    3:22