Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The Midlands has its own sense of uniqueness in the ability to weave a tale through any medium of art. The gentleness of some though may leave other communities and areas at odds with the idea of what lays at the centre of it all, pure industrialisation, the machine that once powered a nation and beyond; and yet the fringes, the outer edge that encompasses a softening of the language and of the accent, there is a strength of purpose to which art such as Folk and the gift of song serenades the listener with guile and the image of nature in full flow.

Award-winning guitarist Sam Carter embodies that aptitude and desire with a creative, narrative abundant style that is nothing short of a pleasure to behold. It is the music equivalent of listening to a babbling brook in the height of a glorious sun-kissed summer after the deprivation and disasters of a storm filled spring. Laying on a grassy bank and just letting the sound wash over you, free from care and harm; this is the effect with Sam Carter’s new release, The Oakham Poacher.

It is the resplendent nature of the narrative combined with consummate guitar that fires the imagination; something that Folk music has always been able to resonate with, to delve into the conscious desire to bring stories to life without embellishment; a truth perhaps of simple beauty.

Across the tracks Now Is The Cool Of The Day, The Oakham Poachers, Tubal Cain, Long Time Travelling, The Light Guitar, and Banbury Bill/Highland Mary, Sam Carter’sfirst collection of songs from the genre should surely not be the last, they not only whisper of a long forgotten realm, but they are coolly delivered and bright with keenness of vision.

A wonderful set of songs that capture the Folk tradition with heart filled admiration. A sheer sense of gratitude from the listener is be expected, and humbly received for The Oakham Poacher.

Ian D. Hall