Leeds based Sam Hutchinson has refreshed and developed his sound for a new year, and it’s a a great call. I know Sam has been hard at work with other local musicians, and the first new track for the year, Innocence is a writing collaboration with musicians Nigel Passey and George Gales. The fruits of this labour is a fuller complex sound; it retains Sam’s trademark rocky edge, but I also think it draws the track out to the current too.

Vocally Sam can often sound rather like Kelly Jones from Stereophonics (that’s huge!), and here it’s great to hear Sam stretch his vocals out a way, to show a strong versatility and range of sounds to his vocal style.

Clearly I’m not the only one pleased with the new strong confidence brimming within the track – the song has motored past 5,000 Spotify listens in just the few weeks since its release. As you might expect from a Sam Hutchinson song, Innocence has a strong timeless vocal sound, and what to my ear sounds like an current almost back to the future 1980’s retro full on rock sound. The lyric in the song “the smell of cocaine on the sheets” gives a vibe that our protagonist is struggling with a love who perhaps lives their life on the more edgier side of the street. Will it win through these differences?

Being something of an innocent myself when it comes to cocaine (heart attack material these days (unfortunately) dear reader, so that particular ship has sailed), I even went to the trouble to find out what the smell of cocaine is like. Apparently by the time it is cut with rubbish, it often smells of petrol or ammonia – it’s not selling it to me. I’m going to be screwed if anyone checks my google search history, but I might now choose to dab a little petrol on my bedding to add to my street cred at the mini laundrette.

There’s a very busy and exciting spell ahead for Sam as he has also announced the release of a new EP Stick to the Script which is being released on the 24th February. The first track By The Gun is due very very soon. The Radio Live Lounge version from You Tube shows a strong, huge tune is coming our way.

Tiggerligger

images taken from Sam’s social media.