Samia Honey
Indie-pop singer Samia has released what is truly believed to be the most emotionally challenging record of the new year and one that would be hard pressed not to be holding that distinctive title when the ball drops 11 months from now. Every emotion thinkable is discussed in Honey’s 40 minutes.
Lead track “Kill Her Freak Out” has Samia singing about committing cold blooded murder and about never feeling so unloveable and that’s only song number one. Yes, the album is extremely emotional and even disturbing but also very beautiful. “Charm You” is a sweet song about young love and has the listener thinking happy thoughts about the early days of a relationship.
Once the warmth of “Charm You” has embraced you comes the opening line to “Pink Balloon.” Samia goes straight for the gut singing, “Your mom keeps threatening suicide on holidays.” She continues the on the song recalling, “I know exactly when it turned into an accident in the bathroom.” The darkness is all around and you cannot not listen to the rest of the album. It’s like when you are driving on the highway and see the lights from first responders responding to an accident. You slow down as you approach and know you should just keep your eyes ahead on the road but you cannot help but look at the carnage. That’s what listening to Honey is like and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
If you have ever found yourself in a time in your life where you’ve been deemed difficult, over emotional or even intense, then I suspect Honey is an album that you would find hits very close to the heart. Samia shows how fierce and unabashed she is in her songwriting on Honey and even sings “I’m not scared of anything” on the title track. Between her new release and her 2020 debut The Baby, Samia has shown she is ready and happy to claim her rightful seat at the table as the Queen of Sad Indie Music.
Listening to Samia’s music as dazzling as it is does not necessarily leave one with a smile on their face unlike her parents. She is the daughter of the middle Sanderson sister from Hocus Pocus, Kathy Najimy, and Dan Finnerty, singer of everyones favorite wedding band The Dan Band.
Samia will hit the road in support of Honey next week and will wrap up her spring dates in Nashville at Brooklyn Bowl. @samiatheband
The Gibson Brothers Darkest Hour
“Every song written feels like a little victory to its writer. Sure, some are better than others, and from time to time—if you’re lucky—you write something special. But every one counts,” says Eric Gibson of International Bluegrass Music Association Award-winners, The Gibson Brothers. He’s explaining how he and his brother Leigh, as well as their all-star band, ended up in the studio with producer—and dobro-playing legend—Jerry Douglas, who encouraged the Gibsons to send him all-original songs to comb through for their brand new album, Darkest Hour. “Making this record of songs Jerry deemed as keepers with him is a dream come true,” says Eric. “The songs reflect where we came from, where we are, and where we go from here.”
“The Gibson Brothers are more than a musical act that runs around the country like everyone else. They are two of the kindest, most thoughtful, and interesting people I know. They come from deep family roots that have shaped them into very good men with values that are rare these days. They have an eyes wide open interest in what goes on around them and they turn their experiences into songs that are well-deep in substance, intellect and charm,” Douglas says. “I asked them for all the songs they had written because I already liked them musically and personally, but didn’t think the broader audience knew what was in there. Then I just painted around what they gave me. I wanted to make a Gibson Brothers record that could let them express all the things they are. I’m very proud of what we made and I think it shows all the facets of their personalities, both Eric and Leigh. They are brothers but they each see things in a different light. That brings richness to the canvas, and they are nowhere near the end of what they have to say.” With the help of Douglas and a host of stellar guest musicians—Justin Moses, Guthrie Trapp, and Alison Krauss, to name a few—Darkest Hour spans from trad-grass to country-soul and back again, utilizing classically bluegrass instruments as well as electric guitars and drums to craft a sound fit for the songs it surrounds.
The Brothers Gibson will be playing songs from their new album in Nashville on February 18 inside Analog in the Hutton Hotel. @brothersgibson
Check out some of the other amazing new releases out this week….
- Sam Smith Gloria
- Lil Yachty Let’s Start Here
- Elle King Come Get Your Wife
- Quinn XCII The People’s Champ
- Kimbra A Reckoning
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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