Album Review – Sam Outlaw’s “Tenderheart”
Sam Outlaw didn’t become one of the fastest-rising artists in independent country because of his name. He did it in spite of it. Everybody wants to hide behind layers of forced authenticity in country music these days, and bray about how country they are because of where they were born, or what kind of bad things they’ve done, or the dues they’ve paid. Sam Outlaw came right out an said he used to work at an ad agency, took his mother’s maiden name for showbiz convenience, and has lived in Southern California since he was 10-years-old.
All of these things have subsequently been used as strikes against Sam’s authenticity, even by his own hometown alternative newsweekly. Yet here he is making waves, partly because he was honest with people and they appreciated it, if they didn’t identify with the narrative or even dream themselves of dropping everything in your 30’s to pursue your dreams. But it wasn’t just the story. People continued to support Sam because the music spoke for itself, and rose above any superficial concerns about his back story.
What you’ll hear most about Sam Outlaw’s new record Tenderheart is that it’s California country, yet more Laurel Canyon than Bakersfield; more Gram Parsons than Buck Owens. This all may be true, and it’s not like Sam Outlaw’s debut record Angeleno was some hard country shit kicker, but this only tells part of the story. Tenderheart has 13 tracks, and Sam Outlaw uses every one of them. Instead of some change of direction or softening of Sam Outlaw’s sound, the best way to describe Tenderheart is more like two albums merged together.
Since the first four songs and the two lead singles all have this sort of soft rock atmosphere to them, this is what sets the table and makes Tenderheart‘s first impression. But tracks 5 thru 11 are country to the core, and I’m not just talking about in certain inflections or sheerly from the presence of steel guitar. “She’s Playing Hard to Get (Rid Of)” is one of those songs that would be a classic country standard today if it was released in 1962. “Two Broken Hearts” is an excellent use of storytelling, with an upbeat, honky-tonk heart. “Diamond Ring” illustrates why the waltz beat is so tragically under-championed in today’s country. “All My Life” and “Dry in the Sun” are as country and down home as it gets. And I’m still trying to unravel the genius presented in the song “Say It To Me” delivered upon soaring steel guitar.
Sam Outlaw didn’t shift gears in Tenderheart, he just did what artists have been doing for decades, which is creating a musical filter to extract certain unsavory elements from their listenership. In Sam’s case, the targets were listeners who were too hard headed to understand his style of country anyway. We’re talking about these chest-pounding, countrier than thou types that saw “Outlaw” in his name and decided that if it didn’t sound like Waylon, well then they needed to take a big ‘ol buffalo piss on it. On Tenderheart, Sam Outlaw establishes a broader interpretation of the borders of his music, yet it all still resides well within the California influences in country.
“Bougainvillea, I Think” does sound like something straight off a James Taylor record, and I can’t think of anything more indicative of Southern California aside from the palm tree than a “Bottomless Mimosa.” But that doesn’t mean these songs don’t exhibit exquisite touches of songwriting mastery, or that Sam’s voice doesn’t slither right into these compositions with a deft smoothness.
Writing for a country music website, and feeling confident enough in Sam Outlaw’s abilities, it is a little frustrating how the story being written about this album is how it illustrates the lighter, fluffier side of Sam Outlaw. And this is not entirely untrue, including on the album’s thoughtful and timely title track. But Tenderheart does so much more than just rock your soul to sleep. It has any and all of the country moments any true country fan may crave.
Sam Outlaw and his music have always been a lot more complex than what you can preface in a few sentences of bio information, or fit in a summation of his music. The guy is his own animal. A country fan may half expect to hate this record, not for what it is, but for what it isn’t. But as an unapologetic country fan, I found everything I wanted from this record, while someone who self-identifies as more of a folk rock fan may feel the same. That’s not a sign of confusion from Sam or a lack of cohesiveness, it’s just shows that Sam decided to be himself on this record, and for him that requires satiating a wider swath of West Coast roots.
1 3/4 Guns Up (8/10)
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April 18, 2017 @ 8:32 am
“Since the first four songs and the two lead singles all have this sort of soft rock atmosphere to them, this is what sets the table and makes Tenderheart‘s first impression. But tracks 5 thru 11 are country to the core, and I’m not just talking about in certain inflections or sheerly from the presence of steel guitar.”
Great review Trigger. Spot on with how I feel about this record as well. My first impression is that the first 4 songs definitely have the soft rock feel that wasn’t on his first album. But from song 5 through
the end I feel like its a solid country record. Personally I enjoy Sam Outlaw’s music a lot and agree that his first and second records not only merge, but the second definitely builds on it.
April 18, 2017 @ 11:12 am
I can’t urge listeners who identify themselves as “country” first to listen beyond the first four songs. That’s not a knock on those first four songs at all, but if you use them to judge the entire album, you’re going to end up missing a lot of great country stuff on this record as well. Same with folks that think this album is too “mid-tempo” or “soft.” More Americana-style listeners may get sucked in by the first few songs, and stay for the country stuff. For country listeners, it may be vice versa. All the songs on this record are solid, but sometimes you have to ease into something by seeking out what is sensible to you, and once you “get” it, then you’re more receptive to the entire thing. Country listeners overlooking this is my biggest fear with this project.
April 18, 2017 @ 11:40 am
I actually listened to the first four tracks yesterday and stopped. Not that the songs were bad…. they just weren’t my cup of tea. I’m going to dial up the rest of the album today. Glad I looked at this review. I was getting a real Jim Croce feel from what I heard. I love Jim Croce… but I was hearing the poetic phrasing, but missing the emotional impact. Maybe I’m losing my ability to connect subtitles, but “Bougainvillea, I Think” felt to me like a beautifully composed song with no point. That said… I probably missed many of my favorite songs the first time through and will definitely give this a few more spins.
April 18, 2017 @ 11:54 am
Yeah i thought the first 4 songs were ok too, but the back half in my opinion is where the album shines. I liked Two Broken Hearts, Diamond Ring, Say It To Me, & Now She Tells Me the best.
April 18, 2017 @ 8:34 am
Best album of the year candidate right here! And not one song about the white mans world. Two guns up for me. My girlfriend called it good music to listen to on a spring Sunday morning. And she doesn’t even like country music that much.
April 18, 2017 @ 8:36 am
Thanks for another well written review for an excellent record. Got my copy on Friday and have listened to it throughout the weekend. Coming off an album as good as Angeleno, I’m glad there was no sophmore slump.
April 18, 2017 @ 8:39 am
Only listened to this once and fell in love with it, it’s nice to see an artist who is somewhat consistent on their sophomore album in this era.
April 18, 2017 @ 8:51 am
I like this guy.
“why the waltz beat is so tragically under-championed in today’s country”
Simple. It’s because young men and women have had their relations poisoned by post-1968 identity politics. Now they don’t even touch each other. Why risk the threat of lawfare? You can’t waltz if you don’t touch. It’s a hilarious irony, but the olde waltz (and all contact dancing) has become the dirty dancing, the forbidden fruit, of our time.
For the good of music, the death of this sorry state of affairs cannot come soon enough.
April 18, 2017 @ 9:25 am
What the hell are trying to say here?
April 18, 2017 @ 10:36 am
Stay with me: the waltz is a dance, and you have to hold each other. There’s a lot less contact dancing over the past 40 years (though it depends where you’re at). I chalk it up to young people becoming more risk-averse, which has to do with deteriorating relations between the sexes. Obviously your mileage may vary. Clear enough?
April 18, 2017 @ 11:57 am
Hahahaha, what?
There’s a hell of a lot less “contact” in a waltz than in the “dancing” that we young ‘uns do these days.
April 18, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
Get off my lawn! And stop fooling around in my beans!
April 19, 2017 @ 12:28 pm
Granted, but I think Corncaster is right if you think in terms of romance. I think of the waltz as not so much sexy as romantic, and romantic feels out of style these days–at least us old farts feel like it’s been abandoned.
April 18, 2017 @ 12:31 pm
Uh, have you been in a bar or a club in the past twenty years? “A lot less contact”?
April 18, 2017 @ 4:14 pm
I think the opposite is true in regards to your analysis of why the worst generation in the history of mankind isn’t waltzing. It’s because the waltz is too classic, too clean. It’s not filthy enough for a generation of mostly degenerates and deviants.
April 19, 2017 @ 10:22 am
true, true. preach on, preach on….
April 19, 2017 @ 12:45 pm
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
April 18, 2017 @ 8:55 am
Trig, is Zephania O’Hora also on your radar? Brooklyn guy but spot on traditional country. Plays with Campilongo and his merry band of hot pickers. http://www.zephaniahohora.com/
He’s got a face for radio, so I’m thinking of becoming a fan.
April 18, 2017 @ 2:21 pm
I will probably have something on Zephania soon.
April 18, 2017 @ 9:09 am
I really liked ‘Angeleno’, but can’t get behind this one. I find his schtick kind of grating. On the one hand, the rejection of the outlaw thing is good; but he replaces it with the exact opposite, which feels just as put-on. Mr. Outlaw with an easy listening record called Tenderheart is exactly what a clever marketing dude would come up with.
All that aside, the music is fine (and country needs this dude right now). But I don’t need an album of nice mid-tempo songs. I do like ‘All My Life.’ Though I’m not sure that lack of waltzing has anything to do with non-contact dancing. I don’t know what nightlife you’re sampling caust it aint my experience.
Cale Tyson is a much more interesting guy right now.
April 18, 2017 @ 10:42 am
“On the one hand, the rejection of the outlaw thing is good; but he replaces it with the exact opposite, which feels just as put-on.”
That makes no sense whatsoever. How is it “just as put-on”? I get that you don’t like an album replete with mid-tempo songs, but to say it’s “put-on” attributes a lack of integrity or authenticity on Sam’s part. You should have just said, hey, it’s not my style, and left it at that.
April 18, 2017 @ 12:28 pm
I was just making the point that discussions of his authenticity or whatever are misguided at best. His anti outlaw nice guy pastel coloured image is just that: an image/marketing ploy whatever. And it’s fine. But I can’t see past it. It’s like a sports team you like having a dumb marketing slogan or something for the season, you still criticize it despite its superficiality.
There seems to be a trend towards this anti-outlaw thing at the moment. Cale Tyson’s Instagram bio is ‘not an outlaw’. Anti–anti-establishment as contrarian.
And finally, to clarify, I don’t think the songs are a put-on. Just the imagery, music videos etc etc. Angeleno is better, and I’ll go seem him when he rolls through town.
April 18, 2017 @ 9:29 am
I interviewed Sam last week and a 15 minute newspaper interview stretched for nearly 45 minutes. He’s very insightful and kind. The record is excellent and so is this review.
April 18, 2017 @ 10:11 am
Glad the horns were axed. I don’t recall hearing any during my listens of the album. At the very least, they aren’t as prevalent. They didn’t hurt his sound, but I just don’t like the styling on some songs on Angeleno.
“Tenderheart” is such a painful song for us truly kind men who have trouble not being too sensitive. Song of the year so far, imo.
April 18, 2017 @ 11:05 am
There are horns in the opening song “Everyone’s Looking For Home.” And they’re mariachi style, not jazz or soul style.
April 18, 2017 @ 12:57 pm
The arrangement in that song is rather quiet. I don’t recall hearing them.
April 18, 2017 @ 10:31 am
I agree with your review for the most part.
To me this album is a little too mellow, but that is just a personal taste.
April 18, 2017 @ 10:53 am
As a big fan of ‘Angeleno’, I obviously loved this album as well. I find it curious that people now associate “outlaw” with uptempo, gritty badassery, when that hardly characterizes any of the 70’s outlaws. The albums of guys like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, etc., are full of mellow songs. Waylon’s mid-to-late 70’s albums are some of the most mellow albums I own. And, besides, “outlaw” meant, in large part, outside the norms of Nashville, which is certainly what Sam is doing.
April 18, 2017 @ 11:30 am
When the “Outlaw Country Cruise” became a thing, I checked out. It’s jumping the shark now. This is a nice break from everyone trying to play their best Steve Earle impression from 1988.
April 18, 2017 @ 11:58 am
Yeah, it seems like a lot of people confuse Cherlene-style “OUTLAW COUNTRY” for what the movement actually was.
April 18, 2017 @ 4:55 pm
Haha. When I read that, I immediately heard Cherlene yelling “outlaw country!” in my head. Well played sir.
April 18, 2017 @ 11:27 am
Definitely a lot of Gram Parsons, and dare I say John Denver on the record. I”m digging it, but man, it is definitely *mellow*. I’m catching him live next week, so I’ll be interested to see how some of this stuff comes off with an audience.
April 18, 2017 @ 4:42 pm
Was listening to the album last night, I had the same thought re John Denver!
April 19, 2017 @ 6:08 am
I heard James Taylor
April 18, 2017 @ 4:17 pm
“She’s Playing Hard To Get (Rid Of)”
What a freaking fantastic Country hook that is! I’m jealous I didn’t think of it. I can’t wait to hear it.
April 18, 2017 @ 5:20 pm
Would you say he is working in the same musical area as Andrew Combs?
April 18, 2017 @ 5:31 pm
Sort of, but not really. Andrew Combs is more in the folk rock vein full time, and veers into more social commentary in his current album. There’s definitely some similarities, but I don’t know that I would compare the two.
April 18, 2017 @ 5:33 pm
I really like sound of this Sam Outlaw record. Laurel Canyon is fine with me.
April 18, 2017 @ 7:26 pm
Gram Parsons? Cool? Cool.
April 18, 2017 @ 8:26 pm
I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t seem to get into Sam. The music is cool, but there is something about the singing of both him and the background singers that just doesn’t come off right. He is ok, and there are a couple decent songs on both albums, but overall he just doesn’t do it for me.
April 19, 2017 @ 3:00 am
I loved the line about people not liking it for what it isn’t rather than what it is. I feel like this is a common problem in all of music, people start out with an idea already formed of what an album should sound like for them to enjoy it rather than just listening and seeing what it’s actually like. If you go into an album with a preconceived notion of what you think it’s going to sound like, of course you’re not going to enjoy it if it ends up being anything different.
April 19, 2017 @ 3:25 am
Sam Outlaw is one of few country artists who get a review here in Sweden.
April 19, 2017 @ 3:51 pm
interesting. why?
April 19, 2017 @ 10:51 am
I liked Angelino a lot but prefer this one. I might have sequenced the songs differently, but this is a pretty great album with nary a weak song. He’s gotten stronger as a songwriter and more comfortable with his arrangements. I prefer the more countryish sounding songs on the back half but they’re all good. I’m curious how countrified he’ll be live.
April 19, 2017 @ 1:14 pm
In terms of style and roots, California really is the third leg of the country music stool. Yet, aside from Bakersfield (which is itself endangered, in my opinion. Dwight is about all there is left), the rest of state’s country legacy seems to be disappearing. Whether it is the fertile soil of Los Angeles (I miss the Palomino!), the desert (Gram Parsons), or the Central Valley (Bob Wills etc.), there is a deep legacy of country in this state. My dad, a native of Lodi, used to hear folks like Maddox Brothers & Rose in honky-tonks down in Stockton but nowadays, all of that is gone. It is in light of that that I find Sam Outlaw a really encouraging presence in the country world. It seems there is some hope that maybe, just maybe, the verve that California brought to country music will be maintained. Marty Stuart has made his contribution. Sam Outlaw is making his. I wish guys like Gary Allen would reclaim what they lost and help the cause.
April 19, 2017 @ 1:32 pm
I agree we’re seeing a new California Americana scene emerge, and Sam Outlaw is a big part of that. Jaime Wyatt and AJ Hobbs are two more that have released great records this year.
April 19, 2017 @ 2:37 pm
From the little we have been able to observe so far, I think Midland may be a part of that as well. Their roots as a band, their sound as well as their aesthetic and even their “cinematic” quality all seem to point in that direction. Being something of an animal belonging to Big Machine certain gives cause for caution, but so far, they have made some good music that seems to be tapping into the California roots.
April 19, 2017 @ 8:31 pm
The problem with Midland is going to be the questions about their authenticity. You may think of them as a California country band, but they also claimed to have paid their dues in the Austin scene, which they didn’t. Just today Whiskey Riff posted an article with the lead guy who used to be a model posing in underwear and cowboy getups. It’s image first with them, then music.
That’s the thing about Sam Outlaw. He never tried to hide who he was. Midland is out there trying to paint themselves as these real deal, road-weary poets when it’s just not true. If they would just be honest, they would earn more respect. Ultimately, it should be the music that speaks for the artist, but Midland is setting up walls via postering, while Sam Outlaw tore them down with honesty.
April 19, 2017 @ 9:09 pm
I totally agree about the authenticity issue. To some degree, that is what I was implying by noting the cinematic quality. Watching their videos for Drinking Problem and 14 Gears, as well as some of their publicity shots, it all feels like I am watching a movie about a country band from the early 80’s. I like that band from the early 80’s and I wish they were that band from the early 80’s. Yet, their sound, coupled with that movie-like quality really evokes a southern California sound in my mind. In the end, I really like their stuff, I just wish they were the band from that movie, rather than the band from Big Machine.
You make a good point about Sam O. being forthright and honest. In the end, that actually accrues more authenticity.
On a side note, and speaking of cinematic, does Midland’s Drinking Problem video strike anyone as a riff on Dukes of Hazzard? The opening shots of the guitars and the lighting are reminiscent of Waylon in the intro while the moonshine and hijinks with police seem to come right out of the show.
April 19, 2017 @ 3:52 pm
As a midwestern guy who now lives in the deep south, there isn’t much I can relate to on the west coast because of the politics and culture. I’ve only visited LA a couple of times but there’s something about those sunsets and the scenery that I love. I discovered Sam’s music a couple weeks ago and it gives me a grasp of how I felt when I was out there on a trip this past February and something to connect to. Is it a traditional Roots/Americana album? No. But it feels pretty close to home and I don’t feel as bad about falling in love with LA.
April 19, 2017 @ 4:08 pm
Gotta say …I was a huge fan of Sam’s ” Angeleno” record . In my opinion this new one achieves slow liftoff and never quite hits the songwriting heights of the aforementioned . HOWEVER , that steel guitar stuff may be worth the price of admission to many …it is for me . Yeah …there’s some trad-ish country stuff on here , for sure . And there’s a vibe that I haven’t heard for a long while (early Poco , Eagles ..? ) on some of these tracks and an album , overall , that goes down easy .
April 20, 2017 @ 3:47 am
I saw Sam live here in London a couple of weeks back. He’s built up a fair following here and is a pretty frequent visitor (he even played on one of our high-profile Sunday morning politics shows recently). It was one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve been to for a long, long time. He has a very endearing self-deprecating/sarcastic sense of humour and a real connection with his audience. He was other here primarily on a publicity push the new album but I wondered whether the trip would’ve been a loss-maker in short-term financial terms. Flights from LA to London for Sam, his wife (and infant) and Molly Jensen for a show that was attended by around 150-200 people at £18 a head. He also had a five-piece British-based backing band.
April 20, 2017 @ 5:06 am
I’ve really enjoyed this album and think it’s an improvement over the last album. I’m a mellow guy though, so this was right up my alley. This will get a lot of spins from me.
April 20, 2017 @ 5:32 am
No thanks
April 20, 2017 @ 7:04 am
Thank you Trigger
I was really mad when I read the review of this record on American Songwriter and it was awarded just 3/5. Thank you for articulating exactly how I feel about this great record. Say It To Me was the song that really got me into the album. The track reminded me so much of Gene Clark’s works.
April 27, 2017 @ 3:50 pm
Wow I have to say I am blown away by this album. I have listened to the whole thing probably 20-30 times since i read the review Friday and I am still loving every song. Very unique vibe on the whole album and “Say it to Me” is absolutely incredbile. Thanks for the review Trig or I would’ve never known about it
April 28, 2017 @ 8:24 pm
I did a quick listen to this new album, and it hasnt immediately stuck,like Angelino did. Last year, I traveled through 26 states with my wife in a 1978 GMC motorhome. Both of us singing along to every song on Angelino. So honestly, Tenderheart is a letdown, in what I had hoped would be more of style of the previous. I will give it a deeper try, but I fear this may be his version of Rush’s Caress Of Steel…
May 6, 2017 @ 8:14 am
been listening to both his cd’s this week
absolutely wonderful
May 12, 2017 @ 1:39 pm
I know this is an older post but I had to comment because I’ve been listening to this nonstop for a few days. I will agree that Bottomless Mimosas is a soft rock song. However, the rest of it is country as fucking hell. Up until this point I was of the opinion that if it wasn’t honkytonk it sucked and wasn’t country. This album has completely changed my mind. Everyone’s Looking for Home is an epic fucking country song that has a lot of shades of Colin Raye, who I didn’t think I appreciated at all until I listened to this album. This is much more Colin Raye and Diamond Rio Than willie and Merle, it’s great in its own way. Sam is very selective with his use of pedal steel but where he uses it is brilliant. Great album! Just bought tickets to see him next week a few minutes before I posted this.