In the 1990s, a lot of waifs came out of the singer/songwriter field — in many cases, these women had waifish images to go with their thin, waifish vocals. But there is nothing waifish about Sam Shaber, one of the more promising female singer/songwriters to emerge on the ’90s Manhattan club scene. Shaber is blessed with an impressive range and a big, full, rich voice; in fact, she has the sort of grit and soulfulness that would serve her well if she wanted to record an R&B album. But Shaber isn’t an R&B artist; folk-pop is her forte, and the native New Yorker provides a variety of folk-pop material on Sam-pler. Released in 2000, this five-song EP is generally enjoyable and occasionally excellent. One can hear a lot of potential on original songs that range from the affectionate “Uncle Bob” to the playful “Tempting” to the assertive, sociopolitical “Beloved,” which finds Shaber doing some rapping along with her usual singing. No, she isn’t trying to be Queen Latifah or Lil’ Kim, but the rapping that Shaber provides makes for an interesting added touch. Like her full-length album Perfect, Sam-pler indicates that Shaber is someone the folk-pop world should be keeping a close eye on. – Alex Henderson
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