Here and Somewhere Else in Bloomington, MN

One of America's most talented (and mostly unknown) bands of the '90s,
the Samples
made a giant leap on this release. Their first all-studio album with three new bandmates is simply astounding. The quintet sounds like they've been playing together for a decade, laying down driving pop songs, with occasional reggae rhythms. The music is tight, the production crisp, and
Sean Kelly
's memorable voice (somewhere between
Bruce Hornsby
and
Neil Young
), leads the way.
Kelly
's lyrics rely on cliche more than usual but that's entirely forgivable, because it is the music and the melodies that one will remember from this album. If you don't own a
Samples
album yet, it's not too late to redeem yourself. This is a good place to start. ~ Steve McMullen