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Number One
Euro Americana Chart
September 2009

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Number Twelve
Top Fifty Albums of 2009
No Depression Readers Poll

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From MOJO:

4 STARS- “Baker is a thinking man and a survivor (of terrorism), with a dusty voice and a feeling for beauty. This

is the final part of his trilogy contemplating life, death and getting by on the fine line between.”

From Maverick Magazine: 4 STARS- “Relative to its predecessors, cotton proffers more of the same, nevertheless the characters portrayed allied to their interaction once again totally engaged this listener.”

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From Folkwax.com:

“His new album Cotton has a lot more variety, more instrumentation and is more produced. Tim Lorsch, longtime cohort of Texan Walt Wilkins, signed for the production and arranging and did play all of the beautiful string sections. There’s a lot of unexpected little gems like nice chorals and little symphonettas.” – Evert Wilbrink

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From San Antonio Express-News:

“Baker has the uncanny ability to lay bare the gritty while celebrating the simple victories of a housemaid, a naive Mennonite craftsman and the folks who fly signs at intersections. Life’s messy. As Baker’s words and music affirm, it’s worth living — even if it doesn’t always rhyme.” – Jim Beal, Jr.

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From About.com:

 “Baker’s lyrics are provocative and memorable, referencing the relationship between love and mercy, the commonalities among all people, and life’s little struggles. They also reference other stories and songs common to the American songbook.” – Kim Ruehl

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From Songs:Illinois

“Sam Baker’s songs have the most carefully chosen lyrics you will ever find. Because of the permanent brain damage he incurred it’s tough for Sam to access the words he needs for his songs. As a result the songs on his three records have fewer words than typical. But each word is a labor of love; worked on, shaped, and chosen because it’s the perfect fit.” – Craig Bonnell

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From Americana Music Times

“This album hits all the right notes, start to finish. Sam has never been in better voice. The songwriting is as poeticand personal as ever, and, as usual, leaning toward the spiritual side. The production is flawless.” – Steve Circeo

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From For Folks Sake

 In describing Baker’s sound it’s impossible not to think of recent-era Lou Reed albums like 2000’s Ecstasy. There’s the drawl that suggests intimacy with a variety of substances and only a casual acquaintance with melody. There’s the stilted delivery which disrupts the rhythm of songs and keeps the listener on the edge of their earphones. But most of all there is the voice of experience, which makes you feel as though Baker is talking directly to you.” – Paul Malloy

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From Sounds Country

“On Cotton, his observational style helps pull the threads together – the homeless and disenfranchised that dot our landscape on Signs, the hazy night and “bourbon and ice” clinking on ‘Moon’ and his signature weave of traditionalsongs – ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ and ‘Hard Times’ from the last record, ‘Dixie’ and ‘Meet Me in Saint Louis’ on this one all mesh in a way that makes perfect sense.” – Jeff Giddens

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From FAME

“…it is his way with words that is the standout on this disc, both his way of putting them together to make the song, and then the presentation of those words to us in the singing of the song.” – David Pyles

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From Music-News.com

 5 STARS- “‘Cotton’ stands alone as an album and ‘Angel Hair’ stands as one of the finest love songs in any genre released this year, but viewed as part of the trilogy it is even stronger and if you discover Sam Baker through this album you will probably go back to the others. Simple but magnificent.” – Andy Snipper

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Radio:

“It’s simply brilliant.” – Joe Pareres, Third Coast, KSYM

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“Baker’s songs evoke a wistfulness and melancholy that takes the listener to a place that might be uncomfortable at times, but touches your heart at all times” – Bill Bowker, KRSH

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 “Cotton is a true masterpiece and went to record of the week when it arrived. A contender for album of the year…beautiful, powerful and very very real.” – Barry Marshall Everitt, House of Mercy

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 “Sam Baker never ceases to amaze me. How someone can continually increase their genius from album to album is quite extraordinary. The latest album Cotton is absolutely incredible. You will feel like you’ve been saved after the first listen.” – Shayne Hollinger, Mandatory FM