ALBUM REVIEW: Samantha Crain’s ‘Gumshoe’ is Fluid and Celebratory

With Gumshoe, Samantha Crain overcomes her tendency to self-isolate. Crain’s signature blend of folk, blues, and rock has appeared on Reservation Dogs and Lily Gladstone’s film Fancy Dance. A member of the Choctaw nation, Crain used Gumshoe as an opportunity to take on their motto “Together we’re more.” Gumshoe feels more fluid and celebratory than Crain’s work has in some time, as she invited her band to collaborate more in the process.

The album kicks off with  “Dragonfly,” a retro rocker with a flittering, angular guitar line that will catch your ears immediately. The rev-up contrasts what was with what’s to come: balancing Crain’s fierce independence with the human need to build connection with others. Yet the song reflects no tension – instead, it’s an accounting of where Crain has been, and what’s to come.

By contrast, “Neptune Baby” examines the awkward stop-start of new love. It’s not just the tentative beginnings of something new that Crain remarks upon here, but the much deeper and ongoing negotiation of interdependence. The song is soothing, an enveloping cascade of appreciation. Crain’s heartfelt intonation of “I am a boat/and you are the water” is less of a prayer, and more a mantra of appreciation for a bone-deep truth.

This theme continues with “Gumshoe,” the album’s title track. The song is lovely and sweeping, a warm and intimate lullaby. Here, Crain marvels at the joy of a partnership that is truly safe. Crain casts herself as a detective, embracing the boundless mystery of getting to know her partner. This is not a song about someone who remains impossibly distant – rather, Crain is committing to her partner with the exuberant devotion that our favorite cozy detectives employ to solve a case. In real life, there are no neat answers, but the joy is in the chase.

Crain looks to her broader community for comfort as well. “Ridin’ Out the Storm” is delivered with a hypnotic rock groove that evokes wide horizons and dust: these do not represent obstacles or desolation. Rather, the storm is Crain’s acceptance of all that comes her way – and her commitment to keep traveling. Crain leaves us with the lux, moving “Old Hallicrafter Radio.” The song has one of the more complex arrangements on the album, a climactic moment of healing and leave-taking. Gumshoe

Samantha Crain’s Gumshoe is out May 2.