Album Review by EDF
Following up her 1997 release BOX, Sam Brown returns with an album that might gain her a few new fans. Coming in at the opposite spectrum to Dido, Sam Brown’s influence has always been soul and blues and this is evident on the first track, IN THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT’S GONE BEFORE featuring a piano solo from Jools Holland. Unfortunately with most albums there can be a few tracks which are nothing more than just album fillers and here it comes as early as the second track, HEARTBEATS, which features the lazy lyrics “I can take you downtown, where everything is brown”. The song is actually the oldest song on the album and one that should have been given a bit more thought.
Duff tracks aside, the album kicks back into gear with LET GO MOVE ON and TIMEBOMB which could almost be turned into a duet with Tom Jones. UNDERSTAND THE ANIMAL, a song about relationships, is easily the standout track here featuring a heavy bass guitar sound mixed with blues. CALL ME is another highlight that focuses on the different roles facing the modern day woman.
As the album winds down, the last 3 tracks are more stripped down compared to the rest of the tracks and you get a sense that the heart of the album lies here ending with RAINBOW, a song about the death of a love.
Sam Brown made it a conscious point to self-produce some of the album herself with her brother Pete producing the rest of the tracks. With Pete playing on the album, Sam’s husband Robin Evans even appears on some of the tracks, giving the album a warm feel to it. The title REBOOT might suggest that Sam Brown wants her career to kick start again with greater recognition and going by this collection of songs, hopefully it will.
