2xLP BLACK VINYL Sam Barber established himself as a country artist to watch with an EP, 2023's Million Eyes, that presented his deeply personal songs in simple, straightforward style, with no-frills arrangements anchored by his acoustic guitar. After enjoying breakthrough success with the singles "Straight and Narrow" and "Dancing in the Sky," Barber released his first full-length album, 2024's Restless Mind, which at once built on the strengths of his hits and doubled down on the darker side of his music. Filled with songs about bad luck, complicated relationships, and meditations on lives gone wrong, Restless Mind confirms Barber has no interest in sweetening his outlook for the sake of success, and the gravity of his stories is reinforced by spare, intimate production and instrumentation dominated by acoustic instruments. A double album that packs 28 songs into 94 minutes, Restless Mind includes sound bites of his family wondering out loud about the ways Sam has changed, adding depth to his lyrics about life lived on the edge. Guest vocals from Avery Anna (on "Indigo" and the title track) and Lily Fitts (on "Stopped in Hell") add different textures to the songs without dulling the impact of Barber's performances. At a time when country and pop music seem to be following similar paths, Restless Mind is a defiant, heartfelt message from a songwriter with no fear of bearing his soul and letting his rough edges show. A1 Man You Raised 4:09A2 Cold, Dark Place 3:00A3 Thought of You 2:43A4 G-PA 0:41A5 Restless Mind 3:39A6 Due Time 3:53A7 Better Year 3:20A8 Long Way To Go 2:58B9 Bet On My Ghost 3:25B10 Will You Be There 3:08B11 76 3:18B12 Jersey Giant 3:42B13 Down The Road 3:53B14 S.O.B 3:03B15 Evil Place 4:18C16 Gambler 3:27C17 Morning Time 2:53C18 Indigo 4:46C19 Different Kind of Pains 2:49C20 Streetlight 3:12C21 Never Mine 4:03D22 V 3:23D23 Stopped in Hell 3:33D24 Stay The Night 3:22D25 Straight and Narrow 3:19D26 Home Ain't Far 3:15D27 Let Me Down 3:11D28 You Know I Know 3:22
