Samamidon: All Is Well (2008)

New Wax


Brought up in Vermont by a family of folk musicians, the multi-talented Sam Amidon spent most of his childhood perfecting his craft as a violinist and listening to traditional Irish music.  Upon moving to New York, Amidon began to delve into other music and he started to hone his folk-singing skills.  With his new album All Is Well, Amidon improves tremendously on last year's But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted, which in itself was a wonderfully solid folk album.  With help from composer Nico Muhly and Icelandic producer Valgeir Siggurdsson (Bjork, Bonnie Prince Billy, Sigur Ros), Amidon crafts a memorable work consisting of spirited adaptations of traditional folk songs.  Considering that most people probably aren't familiar with the reference material, Amidon and company really make the songs sound wholly original.  Amidon's got a haunting voice, and his acoustic guitar riffs are accompanied perfectly by Muhly's sparsely effective orchestration.  It's hard not to be emotionally effected by songs like "Saro" and "Wild Bill Jones," which sound surprisingly current considering their old-school roots.  Released on Valgeir Sigurdsson's Bedroom Community label, All Is Well is a must-have for fans of folk music, and Amidon proves to be a talent to be reckoned with. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: Samamidon - Wild Bill Jones
MP3: Samamidon - Wedding Dress

Tags: Samamidon, All Is Well, Captain Obvious, Review