Back in 2019, we shared the news of The John Martyn Project, a tribute to the man who began in folk music but was never bound by it, disintegrating the very thought of genre as he experimented with jazz, soul, funk and even the avant-garde. The project featured Blythe Pepino, Kit Hawes, Pete Josef and Sam Brookes. It is the latter artist we turn our attention toward today as Bristol-based singer-songwriter Sam Brookes shares a cover of John Martyn’s ‘You Can Discover’ which will be released this Friday (9th April). Sam also announces live shows in May-June 2021 supporting Newton Faulkner.
‘You Can Discover’ is the first taster track to be taken from Sam Brookes’ forthcoming EP of acoustic covers set for release in Autumn 2021. A work in progress, the EP’s final tracklisting is yet to be fully finalised but is likely to be a mix of fan favourites covered by Brookes’ during his intimate streamed lockdown sessions, with songs from iconic musical inspirations such as Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley all under consideration.
A John Martyn cover being the first single to be released is of little surprise to those familiar with Sam Brookes’ music. A long-term fan Brookes toured internationally with the John Martyn Project mentioned above and cites Martyn’s blues-folk-psychedelia fusion as an influence on his current album, the stirring and exquisitely beautiful ‘Black Feathers’ (October 2020, Go Slowly Records).
The guitar playing is exquisite, the vocals sublime. As a singer and songwriter, Sam Brookes is already entering the highest echelons. He is a national treasure...Bob Fish, Folk Radio
Brookes refers to ‘You Can Discover’ as a “lesser-known gem” on John Martyn’s 1973 album ‘Sundays Child’, a song Brookes immediately fell in love with, as he expands “I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t one of his better-known songs.” A search for alternative versions brought up only one, a live performance at the BBC presented by Bob Harris where the song was introduced as ‘Discover The Lover’. “This is probably my favourite version as you get a bit of John fooling around at the front end and then he goes full psychedelic folk to close the song” explains Brookes who later went on to perform the track whilst touring with the John Martyn Project.
The cover pays homage to the intimate feel of the original but Martyn’s more sultry blues is replaced with something softer, with Brookes’ incredible intricate guitar playing and mesmerising vocal – one regularly compared to the likes of Bon Iver, Tim Buckley and Ben Howard – taking centre stage.
Sam Brookes supports Newton Faulkner on his May-June (socially distanced) UK tour, including a show at The Clapham Grand, London which will also be live streamed. Tickets for all shows available via www.newtonfaulker.com
LIVE DATES:
Sunday 30May – The Wardrobe, Leeds (Sold Out)
Monday 31 May – The Sugarmill, Stoke-On-Trent (Sold Out)
Tuesday 1 June – Clapham Grand, London (Sold Out)
Wednesday 2 June – Concorde 2, Brighton
Friday 4 June – Cheese & Grain, Frome
Sunday 6 June – The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth (Sold Out)
Monday 7 June – Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
Tuesday 8 June – Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
Sam Brookes releases ‘You Can Discover’ on 9 April as a digital single, with his EP of acoustic covers following in Autumn 2021, both via Go Slowly Records.
Photo Credit: Sarah Cresswell