"pretty world is what great songwriting is all about." Gurf Morlix
Texas songwriter Sam Baker is not that well known even in his adopted hometown of Austin. However, since the 2004 release of his debut mercy, word of Baker's songs have slowly, but surely spun its way around the world. On August 7, Baker returns with the second part of the story, the self released pretty world. Co-produced by fellow Texan and songwriter Walt Wilkins, the new songs reflect a life lived well and nearly lost.
Austin producer/songwriter Gurf Morlix said of mercy “It's the best writing I've come across since Mary Gauthier.†The UK's Maverick Magazine awarded mercy five stars and writers that have discovered this raw talent often compare him to fellow Texans Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark.
A lot can happen in a few years and Baker can tell you that a lot can happen in seconds. Back in 1986, he was traveling in a train through Peru, when the car he was in was blown apart by a terrorist bomb, killing fellow passengers and leaving him clinging to life. Deafened and gravely injured, Baker spent the better part of the next decade working on both a physical and spiritual recovery. It was through storytelling and the art of songwriting that Baker turned to make sense of a sometimes senseless world.
Baker's songs are pictures sketched in short, spare lines and lay bare the honest truths and simple details of life. pretty world celebrates the moments large and small that frame our lives.
Before the sun
Before the heat
Before we untangle
From our sheets
Before this summer day unfurls
p r e t t y w o r l d
