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The Samples
Very Best of The Samples, 1989–1994

(What Are Records?)

First Appeared in The Music Box, March 2005, Volume 12, #3

Written by John Metzger

Long before the rise of O.A.R. and the Dave Matthews Band, The Samples had cornered the market on the sort of feel-good, world beat-infused pop that initially had been popularized by Sting and The Police. Indeed, throughout its career, The Samples never strayed far from its effective, if not exactly groundbreaking, formula of whipping its fusion of folk, rock, and reggae sounds into an lush, but airy confection that exuded a pleasantly joyful optimism. Though it’s ruminations on love as well as its eco-friendly sentiments occasionally wore a little thin, its music was consistently light and bubbly. Very Best of The Samples, 1989–1994 compiles 17 tracks, which were culled equally from each of the group’s first four studio efforts (not counting the 1992 hodgepodge Underwater People), and it includes a DVD that features several videos, a documentary, and a slew of rare recordings. Taken in full, Very Best of The Samples, 1989–1994 offers a comprehensive overview of the ensemble’s most prolific period, and although The Samples never reached the heights to which it aspired, it also never received the respect from the mainstream that it deserved.

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2005 The Music Box