Sammy Duke
Terminus
(Independent)
4.5/5
With his second album, Terminus, Ontario-based multi-instrumentalist Sammy Duke sets himself apart from the rest of today’s folk-rock and world-fusion artists. Terminus, which was recorded in a solar-powered studio, starts off with “Pressure,” a hearty song with a pop-rock feel that is lively and upbeat yet depressing and introspective; it sets the tone for the album in a bold and relevant way.
From there, things get increasingly acoustic with “Cast Away” and “Save It,” but I don’t mean “acoustic” in a quiet and harmonious sense. While the songs often start out that way, they quickly slide into dark and eerie territory; some of these tracks could be used for the rising action leading up to the chase scene of a Stephen King movie, while “Perfection” hit me with a surprising tranquil wave given its fiercely dark predecessors.
Duke’s voice—with tinges of blues and folk—is a raging forest fire that people need to hear, but one that he can quiet down at the drop of a dime to a calm spark of hope in the darkness.