Review by Rob Jonas

Three years ago, I had the good fortune of frequenting the Daily Grind’s Thursday night open mic in Troy while Sean Rowe was hosting. If there weren’t a lot of performers on a given night, Rowe would play several songs to fill the time. Among the songs I and the other patrons heard were “Old Shoes,” “Flying” and “The Walker.” Saturday night at Valentine’s Music Hall in Albany, those songs were played once again but in a different context. Rowe was no longer standing alone in front of a mic with only his acoustic guitar in hand. Now, he had company in the form of three members of Railbird – Sarah Pedinotti, Chris Carey and Chris Kyle.

The occasion was Rowe’s CD release party for “The Salesman and the Shark,” his first new recording for major independent label Anti- Records. Anti- re-issued Sean’s previous full-length album, “Magic,” last year after Rowe signed with them. With backing trio in tow, Rowe opened the night with “Flying,” one of six songs he played off “The Salesman and the Shark.” The song always stood out when Rowe played it solo, but the Railbird crew gave it an extra lift Saturday between Carey’s drumming and Pedinotti’s backing vocals.

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