Upbeat isn’t necessarily the first word that comes to mind when it comes to describing Sam Beam’s music. But the singer-songwriter, who records and performs under the name Iron & Wine, does have his moments.

Take, for instance, “Sweet Talk,” a standout track from his 2024 album Light Verse. One of the most beguiling songs from across his seven studio albums, it stays in your head long after hearing it on record, and even more so after hearing it live.

“It’s definitely one of the more upbeat ones,” the five-time Grammy nominee said in an early March interview. “It’s fun to have a song like that in your pocket. I’ll be in front of a bunch of people playing more quiet gentle music, and then I’ve got ones like that to pull out.”

Still, there’s more going on in the song, whose lilting folk-p

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