For the best debut since Ray LaMontagne's 'Trouble' look no further!
There was a drought of credible singer-songwriters in the wilderness years of music from some point in the 1980s to the late 90s, but now in 2006, if you look a little deeper, it again is a glorious time for earnest, meaningful, and beautiful songwriting. Our modern songsmiths hark back to good ol' days of the sixties and seventies, but they are as much a part of today's music scene as the Arctic Monkeys observant indie stylings and Fallout Boy's mainstream emo doings.
And of this pack of seminal young artists, including Josh Ritter, Mark Geary and Jo Mango to name but a few, my pick is certainly this man, Grant Campbell, who's produced the most luscious debut album since Ray LaMontagne's 'Trouble'; it's called 'Postcards From Nowhere' and it's enchanting. He's certainly immediately up there at the top of the league with the likes of Mr. LaMontagne with this record, recorded at home on a four-track...
The Glaswegian Campbell has a gravel-like voice that falls somewhere between those of Micah P. Hinson, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen; the power and enormity of his vocal resonates sharply as soon as the first lyric of the album comes in on 'Restless Blues', a masterpiece of a song, with soft but poignant acoustic guitar playing and a wonderful backing of harmonica and accordion.
Next is 'Broken Jukebox King', a song quickly elevated to becoming one of my favourite current records, it's a beautiful heartfelt work of utter perfected craft. This man shapes these marvellous songs with a seemingly effortless skill and a real aptitude for making music that grips, that digs in and that doesn't let go of you, and it's purely because he is the real deal, a true troubadour of the new millennium.
'12:30am' has a wonderfully uplifting and tremendously memorable melody, it takes you away to a private place which you inhabit with a huge smile and sense of fulfilment, 'The Day Your Luck Ran Out' displays some gorgeous slide-guitar and is just an awesome achievement in itself. As the album progresses you're taken on a grand journey, the song 'Down By The Sand' using the sound of a train running along the tracks as it's rhythm, 'Castaway' being a country-style heart-churner and foot-tapper, and ender 'Exit Stage Left' employing a vocal technique which is both haunting and enlightening.
It really is an album of timeless beauty, the perfect heavenly jukebox selection; steeped in melancholy, laced with a subtle and entrancing ambience and full to the brim with stunningly remarkable songs, this is one of the best debuts of years passed, a real hidden treasure that must be found by all...
So, this new era has got it sorted, an abundance of singer-songwriters who are able to create great things with their music and at the top of the pile is Grant Campbell and he should be top of your priority list if you haven't yet been acquainted. To get a sample of this magnificent recording check out Grant's myspace: www.myspace.com/grantcampbellmusic, you'll be onto buying his album within minutes, I guarantee.