We know Sam Billen better as the keyboardist/vocalist for the band The Billions, but this time around, Billen has opted to release his solo effort under the moniker of his first name, Sam.
To be honest with you I thought this album would be the typical singer-songwriter album that seems to be flooding the music industry right now. So, I was surprised when I heard the first track, 'Invisible Game' which sounded like a cheesy 60's pop song driven by a keyboard and drum machine.
That is the musical theme that runs throughout the record, 60's pop songs with jangly acoustic guitars, keyboards, and melodies. The Beach Boys pop-sensibilities run rampant throughout this release, which was recorded in his home in just over a week. 'Listen To Me' boasts a simple banjo line and string arrangements while Billen sings, 'when I say I'm sorry listen to me'. While most of the songs are love songs, some other topics are broached. For instance in 'Watching For Sirens' Billen croons, 'watching for sirens while I grow my marijuana' in a song about the life of those that pass through, never really living. Or in 'I Finally Know', he gets more personal and sings about the death of his mother, 'in 20 years I have seen the worst life can give/my father crying as he watched my mom die/my love for life was dying right behind her'. The album closes out with 'Fell In Love With Love' and has a Tom Waits bluesy feel to it. While each song does have its own identity, the album unfortunately struggles with sounding too eclectic.
2.5/4
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis April 2004Reviewed by Mike LeechWhat a brilliantly quirky little album. Sam Billen, who also fronts The Billions in his spare time, has created a tribute album of sorts to all his favorite bands with this impressive solo debut. "Invisible Game" sounds an awful lot like an old Hall and Oates tune (in a good way), while "Far, Far Away" could have easily been lifted from the Pet Sounds cutting room floor. "I Finally Know" finds…Similar sounding releases
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