The full-length debut from the Oregon-born, Utah-based singer/songwriter, I Am Nice is the follow-up to
Sammy Brue's 2015 EP, I Don't Want You to Leave. That the latter collection of songs was released when
Brue was a mere 14 years old is only pertinent because without that tidbit of info, one could reasonably assume that his 2017 New West debut was the work of a seasoned folk-pop troubadour with an LP or two in the rear-view. Production wise, I Am Nice benefits from a much wider sonic scope than its predecessor, with co-producers
John Paul White (
Civil Wars) and
Ben Tanner (
Alabama Shakes) dressing up
Brue's mostly straightforward songs in a little bit of period finery -- the swooning "Was I the Only One" sets its sights on the sock-hop '50s, "I See, I Hear" is a retro-honky tonk weeper, and the lush "I Never Said" is pure countrypolitan. It's not all pastiche, though, with the radio-ready singles "I Know" and "Lay Me Down" invoking
the Lumineers and
Jason Isbell, and the punk-addled power pop gems "Covered in Blood" and "Control Freak" hitting that sweet spot between wide-eyed wonder and utter disdain that can only be conveyed truthfully via the moist eyes of youth. ~ James Christopher Monger