Kate Campbell
DAMN SURE BLUE
Large River Music
Thoughtful and Inspirational Observations on the World Around Us.
To some degree Kate Campbell is a ‘child of the 60’s whose father was a Baptist Preacher and an activist in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi; and it’s fair to say that background has been the backbone of her career as a singer-songwriter for the last 40 years; but be assured she ain’t no hippy-trippy Flower-power Folkie; she uses everything in her musical armoury to get her message across to ears and minds of all persuasions.
There’s a heavenly blend of Southern Blues and Country Folk that comes across like a Savannah breeze in the articulated sadness of opening song Damn Sure Blue, when Ms Campbell tries to make sense of the crazy world we find ourselves in in 2018.
On the next song Change Should Have Come By Now she carefully uses a couple of classic couplets from People Get Ready and Sam Cooke’s Change alongside her own astute observations aligned to a Gospel backing to ally even more sadness and despair; but with a golden thread of hope weaving through the lyrics too.
DAMN SURE BLUE certainly isn’t a ‘Concept Album; but most if not every song here has a restrained anger about the way that while plenty of the world has got richer and richer, not a lot has changed apart from the names over the last half century for plenty at the bottom and even the middle of the pile.
If you listen carefully and two songs in particular draw your mind to Johnny Cash in the politics that Kate includes in her tales. One of the songs most associated with Cash, The Ballad of Ira Hayes gets a new lick of paint here; but baring in mind it was written in 1962 it still has a relevance in 2018; which is truly sad. Towards the end a song from the pen of Cash is also included; but one I’d not heard before. Forty Shades of Green is a winsome Celtic Folk song that fits in perfectly well as the storyteller dreams of better times back in Olde Ireland; but it’s not going to happen.
As well as that she also brings new life to the Louvin Brothers The Great Atomic Power too; making it a powerful force of nature again; with a punchy Memphis style backbeat as she herself takes on the role of a Baptist Preacher in the way she sings the words from the pits of her heart; and then she follows this with a brittle adaptation of the Eric Katz/Paul Simon song Christ, It’s Mighty Cold Outside which will stop you in your tracks.
Perhaps it’s the way Will Kimbrough has added his special flourishes to the production; I love the light and shade in the way songs like When You Come Back Home are juxtaposed with the gorgeous Sally Maxcy to hit the listener with poignancy of the finest order; but always keeping your full attention.
While this is a fully fledged ‘grown up’ album that demands that you sit and listen intently from start to finish with no distractions; two particular songs stand out, with the haunting Peace, Precious Peace being the perfect choice to close this record but I’m choosing the Delta Country of Long Slow Train as my Favourite Track; as it encapsulates everything that Kate Campbell is trying to get across on this album but happens to be a perfect example of what modern Country Music can achieve when it puts its mind to it. 10/10 Miss Campbell.
In my humble opinion Kate Campbell is always described as a ‘Folk Singer,’ but believe me she is much, much more than ‘just a Folk Singer’ as this, her 19th album (NINETEEN!) proves, she can melt all of her musical influences into something that transcends that rather tired and cumbersome writing style with ease and grace.
Released 21st September 2018
http://www.katecampbell.com/
The Rocking Magpie 