Sam Grow - Avalon Avenue (2024)

Drawing inspiration from rock, soul, pop, and country, singer/songwriter Sam Grow eventually gravitated toward country, finding the style elastic enough to accommodate all his interests. This much was clear on his eponymous debut EP in 2014, but his transition to the smooth, gilded sound of modern country -- rooted in Nashville while showing a facility with pop melodies and R&B inflections -- became apparent on his 2017 EP The Blame. A tougher, rock-influenced sound was added to the mix on 2021's This Town and 2022's Manchester, as well as the 2023's single "Red Lights."

A native of Maryland, Sam Grow started singing as a child and began playing guitar and piano by the time he was a teen. Initially, Grow made professional headway in hip-hop, touring with Kanye West, then wound up with a gig collaborating with Jeff Scott Soto -- a latter-day Steve Perry substitute in Journey -- on a few songs in 2007. In 2009, he released an indie album titled Ignition, which was recorded with Good Charlotte producer Ron Vento; the record moved around 10,000 copies in the larger Maryland area. The following year, Grow reunited with Vento to record two EPs: Rainy Day in Paradise and Stay the Night. Two of the singles, "Lay You Down" and "Let's Make Love," performed respectably on digital download charts. A full album called Reveal followed in 2012.

After Reveal, Grow decided to switch musical directions and pursue country music. He moved his family to Nashville in 2013, eventually connecting with Lee Brice producer Matt McClure. Grow soon inked a songwriting deal with Ole Music Publishing, then released an eponymous EP in 2014.

He polished his country-pop and added some soul influences for 2017's The Blame EP. His third EP, A Little Like Me, was issued the next year, with the full-length Love and Whiskey arriving in 2019. The album did well as a digital release, and Billboard magazine included him in their regular feature "7 Country Acts to Watch," while a song he co-wrote, "I'm Still Me," was included on Colt Ford's 2019 album We the People. Grow kept up a busy touring schedule, including his 2020 Backyards and Bonfires tour, which found him playing intimate, small-town shows in the backyards of fans. In 2021, he issued This Town, which added a tougher, guitar-based production on hits like "Song About You" and "Kiss My Ass." Only a year later, Grow was back with another album, the 12-song Manchester, which launched two singles, "Staying Over" and "Without You." His first release of 2023 was the single "Red Lights," a bittersweet story of small-town life. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine