Search - Sam Bush :: King of My World

Passion, energy, spirit and even with a little humor

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 04/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - 49:59 -- Sam Bush has always been somewhat of a maverick, an independently minded musician who isn't necessarily constrained by the traditional sideboards of bluegrass. While many appreciate his innovation and creativity, some will always struggle with and question his use of drums, piano, organ and electric instruments on this project. My advice to them is to take their blinders off. Bush associates himself with some excellent musicians, and the songs aren't so far out there that this is rock music after all. He follows his own muse and explores a jamgrass territory into Americana that melds new sounds with old, spicing them with electric flavors that invigorate his acoustic spirit. His primary picking pals include Jon Randall Stewart (guitar), Byron House (bass), Chris Brown (drums), Brad Davis (vocals, guitar, BradBender). Others that appear include Reese Wynans (piano or organ, two cuts), Andrea Zonn (fiddle, one cut) and Larry Atamanuik (drums, one cut).
Bush collaborated last year with David Grisman on the project, "Hold on, We're Strummin'," but it's been about four years since Sam put out his last solo album called "Ice Caps: Peaks of Telluride" in 2000. "King of My World" pulls from many genres from bluegrass to jazz, reggae to country. The mountain consciousness is most apparent on a couple tracks (Puppie `N Knapsacks, Eight More Miles to Louisville) that Sam even picks banjo on. I never knew he could do that. "Bananas" is an instrumental with a distinctly Latin jazz feeling. The band really rocks on "Spirit is the Journey" written by Johnny Clegg, while the bluesy downstrokes on his mandolin drive Ed Snodderly's composition, "Magestic." The album even closes with a swingy self-penned "The Wizard of Oz," presumably a tribute to the great St. Louis Cardinals shortstop, Ozzie Smith. An avid Cardinals fan, Sam collects baseball memorabilia, has a dog named "Ozzie," and even performed the national anthem in 2002 at a Cardinals home game.Besides mandolin and banjo, Bush also offers some hot licks on slide mandolin, slide guitar, guitar, and fiddle to various tracks. Six of the eleven songs each span five minutes or longer, and this gives the arrangements plenty of room to breathe with dynamics and instrumental improvisations. Speaking of eleven, that's the age that Bush started playing mandolin. By age 19, he was involved with the New Grass Revival which turned a lot of heads until their breakup in 1990. Bush, of course, went on to be a member of Emmylou Harris' "Nash Ramblers" from 1990-94, then toured for a year with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Bush's first solo album hit the streets in 1996, and "King of My World" is now his fourth solo release. He also maintains a very hectic schedule of touring, as well as recording with others."King of My World" continues his high-energy unfettered approach to music that refuses to be restricted by certain boundaries. While a staunchly traditional bluegrass fan will find little to please them here, others with more open musical minds will realize that Sam Bush's eclectic music is impeccably performed with passion, energy, spirit and even with a little humor thrown in. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)"

Sam Bush: King of My World (Sugar Hill)

Anthony M. Stephan | Purcellville, va United States | 06/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sam Bush is a musician's musician and a really nice guy (I've met the man). His playing is deeply rooted in American traditional music. Sam doesn't let tradition stand in the way of expressing a fresh look at his world, which he is the king of. If you are talking tasteful tunes with mando lines "like butter": Sam is the king. Look at it this way, Sam is driving his rambler while we ride shotgun for a little fun, see the sights, and maybe take in a ball game. So here is a question: What do Grandpa Jones and Johnny Clegg have in common? Answer: they've both written tunes played by Sam Bush on this album. "Eight More Miles to Louisville" and "Spirit is the Journey" as interpreted by Mr. Bush are as fresh as Rocky mountain snow (near Telluride of course). The backing players fit like a glove and include Byron House (bass), Brad Davis (guitar) and Jon Randall (vocals and guitar) who generally tour with Sam. These guys are tight and it really shows especially on the instrumental numbers co-authored by the group "Puppies `N Knapsacks" and also on Sam's original "Bananas". Sam borrows from one of his favorite songwriters, Jeff Black, for two tunes on this CD namely the title cut and "They're Going to Miss Me When I'm Gone". Sam really seems to find his voice with Jeff Black songs. The final stop on the CD is the heartland with a swing tune tribute to his beloved St. Louis Cardinals and their shortstop, Ozzie Smith in the "The Wizard of Oz". This reminds me of swing tunes that came out in 1950s that paid tribute to players and teams of the era and of Steve Goodman's musical tributes to the Chicago Cubs. As someone once said, Sam never misses a step, more fun that a barrel of monkeys, and always lets you sit back and enjoy the ride. Thanks for the wonderful ride Sam!"

Another great album from Sam

LDG in Montgomery | Montgomery, AL United States | 07/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is another great solo effort from Sam Bush. In fact, all his solo albums are extremely strong, going all the way back to "Howling..." or "Late as Usual". There isn't a throw-away track on this CD, and like someone said before, it's hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this collection. I was lucky enough to see this crew perform in Memphis around October 2004, and the music was possibly even better live. I've seen Sam a number of times live, and it's worth any drive you have to make to see him play. As a very amature banjo player, I wish I had enough talent to pick with these guys for 10 minutes!! Anyway, buy this album (just buy ALL of Sam's and NGR's stuff) and enjoy....LDG"