Never Close Enough should become the standard of comparison!

by Ryan Bradford (Salt Lake City Weely-June 7, 2007)

In a fair and just world, any girl who plays guitar-driven coffeehouse rock should not have to endure any Jewel/Sarah McLachlan comparisons since countless talent has come out of that style—and Sarah Sample is no exception. There are the obligatory weepy melodies that pair well with a hot latte (“Never Close Enough,” “A Sunrise or Two”), but Sample works best when she turns her music up to 6 (that’s the folk version of 11). From the country-tinged opener, “If You See Me Walking” to the southern-rocker “You Make It Easy,” Sample uses a full band to complement her wispy voice, never drowning out its beauty. While, lyrically, her songs never stray from diary-entry fashion (“We dreamed of a house on the edge of the city/ Three-car garage to hold all our SUVs”), Never Close Enough should become the standard of comparison for other female folksinger/songwriters—whether they’re from Alaska or elsewhere.