“High Country” is a compellingly lived-in Americana success from Texas-based songwriter Sam Platts, originally from Saratoga, Wyoming. Blending pedal steel with upright bass, piano, and fiddle, the track explores a life of ranching, temptations, and starry-eyed contemplation through a vivid, retrospective lens that honors his Wyoming upbringing.
A gorgeous convergence of twangy pedal steel, heartfelt fiddle, and steady piano moves in right away, bolstered by Platts’ warming vocal presence. “Back then I lived in Jackson Hole, where the nightlife would bring you to your knees,” his retrospective lyricism traverses, admitting to not having “the guts to leave” initially, though eventually making the move. “I never liked the high country half as much as staying high,” he sings throughout, vulnerable in its soul-searching as upright bass pulses envelop alongside the beautiful array of other instrumentation.
The track’s lyricism is evocative in its depictions of occupations and self, introspective in its “think of days gone by” sentiments and continuing remarks on “the high country.” The fiddle’s presence re-emerges in the approach to the track’s mid-point, the vocals fading momentarily as the lovely fiddle, pedal steel, and rhythm section meld blissfully. A reference to the “days I thought were good times” finally catching up stirs in perspectives of being infatuated with vices and creature comforts, simultaneously embracing wide-open country landscapes of his roots while also admitting to the lure of something beyond. Full of sincerity and charm, “High Country” is an affecting standout from Sam Platts.
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“High Country” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
