Samuel James is a living master of African-American traditional styles. Samuel James is a performer of stunningly singular talent. A master of fingerstyle, slide, banjo, harmonica, and piano, this phenom is barely out of his twenties. Each song is a story, an often humorous tale, of love gone haywire, or small town racism, or a folk tale of mythical symbolism.  Samuel James is equally at home on guitar, banjo, harmonica, hambone or piano. He’s a hard working  individual who is steeped in the traditions of his elders but has already created his own voice that speaks with clarity and pathos to a contemporary audience.  Live, Samuel James includes some older material in his set, but when playing a song created by a previous blues master he truly makes it his own. His stamp of originality is evident in every song he picks. Samuel James is the most relevant young blues artist to come our way in quite some time.