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Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam succeeds with new beats

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Also by Samantha Overgaard:

'Brave One' film content to imitate (September 18, 2007)

by Samantha Overgaard

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Iron and Wine is the genius of Sam Beam, and his oeuvre comes alive with more spirit and soul than ever before in his third album The Shepherd's Dog.

This is Iron and Wine's third full-length, along with several EPs. Beam recorded his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, in 2002. He wrote, performed, recorded and produced all of the tracks from his home. Beam has come a long way since his first album, but he maintains the same heart in this musical journey.

Right from the start you hear the changing styles of Iron and Wine. Opener "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" is infused with piano sparkles and a high-spirited sound. Beams' electric guitar will leave you wanting more in "Carousel." This song doesn't only offer a distinct guitar sound, however, but also a venturous arrangement of instruments and vocals. "Devil Never Sleeps" fills you with an old country feeling while filling your ears with a bold saloon-style piano.

The first single, "Boy With a Coin," offered a preview for audiences of the new direction for this upcoming album. Beam's hand clapping sets the stage as the rhythm, while the rest of the instrumentals and vocals give the song its soothing sound.

Iron and Wine might be changing in their arrangements and instrumentals, but the classic feel is still there; Beam still writes dark love letters and gothic tales. In "White Tooth Man," Beam tells us a story of a postman crying as he reads the mail, getting trampled in a Christmas parade and getting sick after eating a strip club meal. Beam has always been audacious in his writing, and it's good to see that this has stayed the same on The Shepherd's Dog.

There is something truly gripping about every song on this new album. "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)" is in a traditional folk structure but composed with a twist; it grabs your heart and forces it to beat with the rhythm of the song.

For true Iron and Wine fans, this new album will not disappoint. It is different than the rest, but it marks the growth of the performer. Beam is changing some of his ways, but The Shepherd's Dog shows the importance of new tricks.

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