Sam Morrow Incorporates the Best of Country and Rock into ‘On The Ride Here’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Sam Morrow is a great rock musician who filters those instincts deftly into his own interpretation of Americana. Or maybe it’s the reverse. Regardless, across five records the Texas native has managed to combine blues, roots, country, and funk into a truly inspired sound. And those sounds can be heard all over his latest effort On The Ride Here.  

The record is buttressed by two strong singles: the keyboard-heavy opener “By Your Side” and the driving, twangy “Medicine Man,” both perfectly showcasing Morrow’s whiskey-soaked, rich vocals, bringing to mind the ghost of Leon Russell, offering a powerful one-two Tyson-worthy punch opening the record. Speaking of “Medicine Man,” Morrow says his producer and longtime collaborator Eric Corne came to him with this idea for the chorus that really hit home. “We all have ‘a medicine’ that helps us get through the day. Some better for you than others. We knocked out the verses with some tongue-in-cheek examples and put it on some Creedence Clearwater Rrevival style production making it one of the grooviest tracks on the record.” From there, Morrow continues the momentum vacillating between deep funk (“Searching for Paradise”), swamp soul (“Straight and Narrow”), Southern rock (“More” and “Thunderbird Motel”), and combos of those various genres.  

On The Ride Here was produced by Corne (whose impressively diverse resume includes working with everyone from Glen Campbell to Kim Deal) and whose new gig is head of Capaco Records, an imprint within the Blue Élan Label Group. Morrow is naturally the label’s first signing. His band for this album was fleshed out with a slew of West Coast musicians including guitarists Eli Wulfmeier and Eamon Ryland, bassists Ted Russell Kamp and Adam Arcos, keyboardist Sasha Smith and drummers Matt Tecu and Butch Norton. 

Morrow has positioned On The Ride Here as the final piece of a musical trilogy that includes the more country-leaning Concrete & Mud and the more rock-influenced Gettin’ By On Gettin’ Down. His latest is a best-of-both-worlds version of each.