Texas songwriter Sam Baker is a man of few words. Always beautifully chosen, yet always fully wrought. Words placed like plants, or objects in a Zen Garden. Similarly, his website is stark: white, black, sepia, and shades of gray. The frugality reflects a long journey. In 1986, Baker was on a train in Peru, en route to Machu Picchu, when a terrorist bomb exploded in the luggage rack above him. His seatmates were killed. His body was torn apart. Turning inward, it took years for him to relearn the use of his body and brain. Years to heal. Years to reconnect. The road back was arduous, but it opened up new vistas in art, poetry, and music.

Mercy, released in 2004, was the first in a trilogy of compelling albums, each marked by sparse instrumentation and poetic delivery. It was followed by Pretty World in 2007 and Cotton in 2009. Then followed Say Grace in 2013, and most recently, in 2017, Land of Doubt. Each album reflects its themes: how light depends on darkness, how beautiful are the days, how timely is forgiveness, how everyone is at the mercy of another person’s dreams. Often compared to John Prine, Baker has been included in the Top Ten Country Albums of the year by Rolling Stone, and has been termed “utterly evocative” by the Associated Press.