The touching folk strains of “Met a Man,” the debut single from up-and-coming singer-songwriter Sam Stokes, hint at a fresh new voice rooted in timeless truths. The song captures a moment of compassion in observing the pain of someone Stokes clearly loves greatly, who has fallen from grace yet still deserves to be cherished in their moment of suffering.
Plucked gently on acoustic guitar, the opening notes of “Met a Man” pull you right in. Sam’s warm yet weathered vocal tone quickly displays a storyteller with the wisdom that only experience can grant.
The musical arrangement stays minimalistic and sparse throughout most of the song, letting Sam Stokes’ thoughtful and poignant lyrics to take center stage. Only the subtlest touches of background harmonies and additional instrumentation like the light keys are slowly introduced as the song progresses, building layer by layer in a manner that parallels Sam Stokes’ own musical and emotional growth and maturity as an artist. The song’s most climactic and powerful moment arrives when those fragile backing vocal harmonies, which have been constructed almost imperceptibly throughout the arrangement, finally take flight in full. It is at this point that the raw arrangement falls away, and the layered vocal harmonies soar, allowing Sam Stokes to lay bare her soul and communicate deeply felt emotions through the simplicity and directness of her lyrics. Stripped of pretense and polished production, “Met a Man” offers a raw glimpse at Stokes’ artistic intentions for her forthcoming debut album, ‘Common Ground’.
With honest folk melodies, soulful vocals, and lyrics that wrestle with life’s messiest parts, Sam Stokes reveals a rare gift on “Met a Man”: the ability to embrace our shared imperfections through the transformative power of unconditional love. As her album ‘Common Ground’ prepares to introduce this fresh new voice to the world, it’s clear Stokes truly walks the walk she sings — meeting humanity where it is, loving us either way. To fully appreciate Sam’s raw vocal performance and heartfelt lyrics, listen to “Met a Man” now on Spotify and other major streaming platforms. Be sure to follow Sam Stokes’ on her social media accounts and keep an eye out for her upcoming album Common Ground’s.
