Sam Mooney’s “Find My Way” courtesy Amazon.com
Local artist and student Sam Mooney released his second EP, “Find My Way,” on iTunes on Tuesday to high praise and consistent ratings.
Mooney’s second EP drew much anticipation after his first EP, “Somewhere In Between,” broke through the top 10 on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts.
“When ‘Somewhere In Between’ released, it exceeded my expectations,” Mooney said. “I thought we had a decent chance to chart, but I didn’t think we would make top 20 or top 10 on the charts.”
Mooney, a sophomore IMC major, grew up with a heavy influence in soul-centered music adopted from his parents in his hometown of Brookhaven.
“I grew up listening to a lot of older musicians,” Mooney said. “My favorite musician for much of my life was Ray Charles. I probably have around 15 Ray Charles CDs that I got before I was 12 years old.”
Mooney’s EP “Find My Way” has adopted much of these influences and more, such as blues, country and even pop, which contributes to its unique, genre-bending style.
“I think a big part of it is, I grew up listening to artists like B.B. King, Johnny Cash and Stevie Wonder, so I would attribute a lot of my sound to what I grew up listening to,” Mooney said.
One reviewer on iTunes describes Mooney’s artistry as “channeling a host of artists from old school soul to modern soft rock,” comparing him to artists such as Ben Rector and Eric Hutchinson.
Mooney said his new EP holds a personal meaning for him and serves as a reminder of his journey as an artist.
“When I got back to school, I had a really tough fall semester,” Mooney said. “Not so much with academics, but after touring over the summer and knowing that music was what I wanted to do, school felt like it was in the way of that.”
These feelings became an inspiration for one of the songs featured in Mooney’s EP, aptly named after the album’s title.
“I was kind of scared about releasing that song because it’s the most vulnerable thing I’ve written,” Mooney said. “I’m really putting a lot of the insecurity I have in life out there for everyone to see and that’s a tough thing, but it’s also a really good thing.”
In spite of the personal obstacles that make him uncomfortable, Mooney said he thinks these moments are important so that fans can know him in an honest way.
“’Find My Way’ is kind of a metaphor in the sense that I’m finding my sound,” Mooney said. “And it has relevance in my life because since the last EP, a lot has changed, and me finding my way has been a recurring theme in my life.”
Mooney will be performing at 7 p.m. Thursday at Proud Larry’s.
