WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 18 - 24, 2022 | 13
LISTEN UP
Sam James has fi rst major label release with ‘Going Through It’ Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
Listening to Sam James' brand-new song, "Going Through It," it's hard not think about his journey from playing Worcester bars, and of the fi rst time he auditioned for "The Voice." "Local musician Sam James is having a good time of it lately, isn't he?" I wrote in 2012 in the Telegram & Gazette. "First, his song 'So Clear,' featuring local musical heavyweights Gamble & Burke, appeared on the Lifetime movie 'Sexting in Suburbia,' and now he's made an appearance on the 'The Voice,' where he auditioned Monday with the song, 'I Don't Want To Be,' by Gavin DeGraw.
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Alas, he didn't move forward in the competition, but judging from a post on his Facebook page, he doesn't seem too terribly broken up by it." Of course, James would later secure a place on "The Voice," and then go on to write songs for the likes of Dolly Parton and Bebe Rexha. But even then, it wasn't easy. In 2015, he described how hard it was to get an EP recorded, even after "The Voice" exposure: "I only had $350 in my bank account," said James. "I think the studio was $400, so I had to borrow $50 bucks." So it's easy to believe him when he sings, on "Going Through It," "I was going through it/I was working three jobs/I See LISTEN UP, Page 25
Sam James’ newest single is “Going Through It.” PROMOTIONAL PHOTO
