Quickly becoming one of the most exciting voices in the genre. Sam Barber has become, in many ways, one of the key leaders in the acoustic, country-folk renaissance we’ve experienced over the past decade, along with the likes of Zach Bryan, Dylan Gossett and more. At only 22 years old, the Missouri native has already scored two platinum singles for his breakout hit, “Straight and Narrow,” along with his viral collaboration with Avery Anna, “Indigo.” Last November, Barber released his monster, 28-track debut album, Restless Mind, which has already sold well over 500,000 units along with a gold certification from the RIAA. He’d immediately follow that up with yet another 8-song EP, Music for the Soul, last August. With over 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify and a fan base that keeps growing stronger on social media by the day, the desire for new music from the “Man of the Year” singer by fans seems to be insatiable, no matter how frequently he drops. After signaling to fans back in December that his highly-anticipated sophomore album was in the works and coming “early in the new year,” Barber would officially take to Instagram on March 19th that Broken View was coming today, April 3rd. In the caption, the Missouri would preface the album by saying that he doesn’t want fans to dig too deeply into the backstory of each song. In an era where most fans, whether it’s Zach Bryan’s or Megan Moroney’s. want every single detail regarding the construction of each song and lyric (and who they’re about), Barber instead wants this album to reflect the listener and their story, not his own. “Everyone’s always asking what these songs are about. Who they’re about. What happened? What it meant. But I don’t always want to tell the backstory. Yeah, they started somewhere real. A place I’ve been. A night I can’t forget. A feeling that stuck around longer than it should’ve. But that part’s mine. The important part is what happens when it reaches you. When you’re driving alone with the windows down or walking through a season of your life I’ve never known. The second I explain it, it stops being yours. And I don’t want to take that away from you. So I won’t tell you what it means. Because whatever it means to you, that’s the only version that matters.” View this post on Instagram What results is another impressive outing from Barber. The first thing that becomes abundantly clear when you listen to the album is how much restraint he showed. Coming off the heels of his debut album, Restless Mind, which was a sprawling 28 songs, he could have easily followed in the footsteps of the likes of Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan, who continually release massive, a bit indigestible 25-35-song records. Here on Broken View, however, Barber keeps it to a tight 13 songs. It undeniably does the project a lot of favors. Cutting out some of the fat that was present on his debut album, Broken View hits the ground running and never slows down throughout its 50-minute runtime. After setting the stage with the rockin’, pre-released “Borrowed Time,” which serves as a preview to the heavier, electric guitar-driven tracks like “Lighthouse” and “Run,” Barber slows it down and delivers some of his best lyrical work to date on “Hate It Here,” “All For You” and piano-backed “I Will Follow.” As alluded to earlier, Barber really steps it up from a production standpoint on Broken View. Given the fact that he rose to fame with a very raw, early Zach Bryan-esque acoustic production, he could have easily stuck to that formula and profited greatly. It’s becoming clear, especially on this album, that Barber wants to chase a sound closer to modern folk bands like The Lumineers. Though it will spark some debates on whether he belongs in country, folk or Americana, I quite frankly don’t care due to how good his writing and overall sound are. Overall, Broken View is an incredibly impressive sophomore effort from Barber. Like any good sophomore album, it takes the best elements present in his early work while simultaneously expanding his style. Though only time will tell just how successful Barber becomes in the following years, I think he’s well on his way to becoming the next country-folk superstar — and Broken View will certainly aid it. “Broken View” “Just A Kid” “Satellite” Sam Barber Tour Dates April 24 – Indio, California – Stagecoach May 7 – Omaha, Nebraska – The Astro Amphitheater +* May 8 – Wichita, Kansas – Wave Outdoors +* May 9 – Little Rock, Arkansas – First Security Amphitheater +* May 14 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – The Dome +* May 15 – Charleston, South Carolina – Firefly Distillery +* May 16 – Huntsville, Alabama – The Orion Amphitheater +* May 21 – Clearwater, Florida – The BayCare Sound +* May 22 – Pompano Beach, Florida – Pompano Beach Amphitheater +* May 23 – St. Augustine, Florida – St. Augustine Amphitheater +* June 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina – Red Hat Amphitheater $# June 5 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater $# June 6 – Lexington, Kentucky – Railbird Music Festival * Bebe Stockwell $ Waylon Wyatt # Wild Horses & Clover County + Michael MarcagiThe post Sam Barber Continues To Impress With Sophomore Album, “Broken View” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.