There are some people blessed with voices that just make you
go “wow” and it’s fair to say that Newcastle’s Sam Dickinson is one of
them. Having worked hard to build a
reputation for spot on soul honing his craft in the soul clubs of the UK, Dickinson
releases his first studio album The
Stories That Occurred on 22 July and for lovers of classic soul and R&B
with delivered with a powerful voice this album is a must. Outselling Alicia Keyes on the itunes pre sales when his album became
available for pre order it is very easy to see why; this is a mind blowing
slice of pure class, modern songs for a modern age delivered in the powerful
style of some of the soul greats such as Sam
Cooke and Dusty Springfield as
well as a more contemporary soul army such as Simply Red. It’s all here. The brass, the beat, the way it gets your
feet tapping and just wanting a time machine back to the heady days when soul
ruled the airwaves. No wonder he’s
gathering an army of fans including Breeze radio who have declared The Stories That Occurred album of the
week but also legendary soul diva Gabrielle
with his heady mix of Las Vegas and Motown with a hint of Wigan Casino.
Actually to recreate that funk soul feeling and keep it
through a whole album is a testament to the undoubted ability of this
singer. First track on the album is the
latest single How It Used to Be
which grabs you by the throat telling an age old tale of time passing in the
classical soul style. Away from Me with its mournful theme is
a tale of longing and loss with Learn to Wait
showing the other side of the emotional coin with a slightly country vibe meets
show tune start before you’re thrown back into the soul mele with the
chorus. The theme of love and loss continue
with When You Left Me taking you
right down to the depths of heartbreak further compounded by the lilting Mistake Again with a very delicate
introduction. Soul standard style A
Million Miles transports you to a smokey nightclub and could easily be
straight from the late 60s or an Aretha
standard with the defiant Don’t Come
Running Back ramping back up the Motown power. I’ve
Gone, I’ve Quit is a very loose, funked up soul leading to Lift Up Your Head. This is a real gem of a soul classic in the
making and suits Sam’s voice perfectly.
This could be the hit of the album.
Final track Our Day is a good
strong ending to the album with soaring lyrics and a very jazz feel to it.
For a first studio album this is a very good offering which
would fit very well into any soul repertoire.
Modern soul dealing with the age old themes of love and loss but with a
highly retro vibe. Expect to hear this
album being showcased on national radio very soon
As well as playing Taurus bar for an acoustic set launching The Stories That Occurred on 20 July as
part of the Manchester Fringe, Sam is
playing Night & Day on 6 September and, frankly, it you want to get a
ticket buy it now. Once this big and
bold album, shot through with classic soul DNA launches I predict it will be
one of the hottest tickets in town.
Track Listing:
How It Used to Be
Away from Me
Learn to Wait
When you left me
Mistake Again
A Million Miles
Don’t Come Running Bank
I’ve Gone, I’ve Quit
Lift Your Head
Our Day
The Stores That Occurred by Sam Dickinson is released 22 July and
is available to buy on i-tunes.
This review first appeared at The Manchester Gazette
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