Second Listen Sunday: The-Dream, I Am Sam

Terius Nash, better known as The -Dream was already an established artist when he released his I Am Sam EP a few days before Christmas in 2015. The EP was a collection of covers by the legendary Sam Cooke and was recorded during the sessions, The-Dream had with Beyoncé for 4 album.

Around the time of release, The-Dream had this to say about the project “My Mother loved a lot of Artist growing up, but the one we shared the most interest in together was Sam Cooke, so tonight I give him back to her.”

As most music fans know, Sam Cooke is arguably one of the greatest singers of all time. Cooke was a baritone with 3.4. Octave range. Despite his robust pen game, The-Dream has never possessed the most vital signing voice. I honestly had no idea where the project was going to go.

To my surprise, The-Dream delivers a solid EP that serves not as a heartfelt tribute to his late mother but as a respectful homage to Mr. Cooke. Some of the songs covered include “Cupid,” “You Send Me,” and “A Change is Gonna Come.” The-Dream never over sings any of the tracks, nor does he use any auto tune. Instead, he uses falsetto and tenor to make the songs work for him. I also want to commend the singer for his production choices, as all of the songs have an old-school feel to them.

If I had one gripe with the project, I would say that he could move a few of the placements on the track list around, but overall this is a nice project worth the listen and a great introduction to Sam Cooke for younger fans.

Final Grade: B +

I Am Sam is available on The-Dream’s Sound cloud.