Sam Riggs and the Night People

Riggs, a Florida native who relocated to Austin for the sole purpose of establishing a life as a songwriting, working musician, is a true amalgam for our times. Reverence for "old country" is certainly present in this presentation -- but Riggs is by no means a retro-archivist. He grew up idolizing Garth Brooks and, immersed in his new Austin environs, took artistic direction from Restless Kelly and Ray Wylie Hubbard. "Outrun the Sun" has a fresh, polished and anthemic sound - instantly infectious and radio-ready - but the narrative and tension in Riggs' story lines are simultaneously evocative and literate and are peopled with three-dimensional characters far beyond the "bro country" folks currently dominating the charts.

- RICK KOSTER