Sam Bettens

Bettens grew up in Antwerp, not on an idyllic Texan ranch listening to the latest Hank Williams album. And yet. And yet, somehow he manages to tap into the old-fashioned authenticity of country music, seemingly without too much effort. With lyrics that flow like water and a voice that sounds as though he’s been through a thing or two, you believe every word as if you were there yourself.

Perhaps it was his 15-year stay in East Tennessee, including several years as a full-time firefighter, that made this transition from alternative rock to Americana so effortless for Bettens. Whatever the reason, his American citizenship is reflected in more than just his passport. Call it country or Americana, this album simply makes you want to pack your bags and go on a road trip through the rural south of the States.

For the recording of the album in Nashville, the Mecca of country music, Bettens enlisted none other than Tom Bukovac, four-time winner of the Academy of Country Music’s Guitarist of the Year award. Bukovac assembled an impressive line-up of musicians and elevated these tracks to the radio-friendly standard they deserve.

Bettens is still one half of K’s Choice, the band with which he has been touring the world alongside his brother since he was nineteen. With international hits such as ‘Not an Addict’ and ‘Believe’, K’s Choice quickly established itself at the top of the international alternative rock scene and has never really left it. But even K’s Choice had its Americana and melancholic singer-songwriter moments, and it’s wonderful to see that side of Bettens in the spotlight now.

This is the kind of record for which vinyl has made a comeback. Drop the needle, pour yourself a generous measure of whisky, close your eyes and let Bettens’ voice do the rest.