Sam Gleaves Scores with ‘Ain’t We Brothers’

A lot of Americana music has passed through my ears of late, but little has made a lasting impression in the way Sam Gleaves’s debut album, Ain’t We Brothers, has. First and foremost is Gleaves’s bravery — his willingness to sing of same-sex relationships and love through musical styles that have traditionally excluded such subjects and to speak the truths of those for whom bluegrass and mountain music, in so many ways, has historically outcast. But just as strong are his songwriting abilities and his sweet voice. Gleaves proves Americana, as America, can be concurrent and progressive without betraying its core values and that all loves, even of the heretofore-silenced variety, can and should be heard and honored.