With his raspy, almost spoken word vocal style and literate, poignant, and carefully observed songs that grapple with the beauties, complexities, and little tragedies of this world, Sam Baker has much in common with other Texan songwriters like Robert Earl Keen, James McMurtry, and Guy Clark. A near death experience in 1986 drastically changed the trajectory of his life, from bank examiner and whitewater river guide to working musician, though the road to the latter persuasion would be a long and arduous one. Since his acclaimed debut in 2004, Baker has released a string of we...