Album Review: Sam Riggs 'Breathless'

Courtesy: RPR Media

One of the rising names on the Texas music scene, Sam Riggs is poised to continue that upward trajectory both in Texas and beyond with his new release, Breathless. Due February 19th, the Kickstarter backed album contains ten original songs all co-written by Riggs.

Breathless leads off with Riggs’ current single “The Lucky Ones” and continues with album standout “Gravity,” a personal song telling of the need to escape those things and places holding you back from your dreams.

Reflection and thought also are a part of the songs that center around the themes of love and relationships, where sharp writing and memorable melodies blend into songs you want to hear over and over again, like the rootsy rocker “The Heartbreak Girl,” the mid-tempo title track’s ode to that one special woman, “Just one kiss from your novocaine lips and you take all my pain away.” and the absolutely beautiful “Secondhand Smoke” which compares loving her to an addiction. “One more kiss is all I need to get through. I guess you’re just a habit I can’t break.”

While Breathless has poignant ballads, it certainly does not lack energy. “Wake The Dead” pulsates (although the rap portion may throw you for a loop at first listen), “Burn Me Down” rocks “Just another part of your game, girl you pull me into the flame, then you burn me down.” and the driving “High On A Country Song” has all of the makings of an anthemic crowd pleaser.

The album is rounded out with two ballads, the flawless “To Save Something You Love” and the delicate, sparse “One More Chance To Stay.” The former is about the fragility of love, realizing that if you do not value someone important to you, you can lose them, while the latter - one of those songs I like to call 'hit you in the heart ballads' – focuses on persevering despite difficulties. “So kiss you once to show you that I want you/And twice to show you I will not let go/And when you are lost out in the darkness/I will be the light to guide you home.”

The album concludes with an acoustic rendition of “Secondhand Smoke” which allows the song to elicit an even greater response from, and have a greater effect on, the listener. (Let the dead air play through to discover an acoustic version of “The Lucky Ones” as well). 

Breathless finds Riggs capturing and further refining, yet also expanding, the songwriting and musicality that were displayed on his well-received previous album Out Run The Sun into a collection that is dynamic, heartfelt and satisfying.  

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