SHIELA K CAMERON
On Sanity’s Shore
Never anything short of intriguing, and intended as a career retrospective, the collection exists at the overlap of folk, poetry and the blues. While that may suggest that the tracks each have their own style within that Venn Diagram, it is not just that, as even within the individual tracks all three may raise their distinct heads, starting in one form and then changing into another and then possibly back. Stylistically intoxicating, lyrically there is also as much to consider as well as to enjoy.
Throughout the album there is much reflection and a considerable degree of regret around relationships of various types but riven with analysis rather than anger. The writing of the words may be cathartic, but the delivery doesn’t reflect that.
There are tracks deeply rooted in folk and blues but exploring aspects of each. Similarly, their delivery encompasses a range from a Capela through sparingly accompanied but exquisitely appropriate instrumentation, to full band arrangements, although there is always room within these for the listener to engage, rather than simply submitting to a dense musical attack.
Quite alike anything else that I have had the pleasure of listening to in the recent past, and with a large number of tracks to engage with, there is a constant level of interest and discovery given the subject matter and indeed the chosen styles.
It is interesting to hear in words and song why women may wish to sing the blues, even if it is not necessarily their tradition and then develops the theme to include the benefits to gain from doing so. Very much an artist with a capital A, occasionally when the album emerged unexpectedly from the reviewmobile stereo, it could be confused for one of Radio Four’s more experimental pieces. It is therefore a shame to find this is an overview of a lifetime work that has passed me by so far, so any future output will be sought after, listened to and probably enjoyed.
A quick note for the striking cover artwork, painted by the artist, which both foretells and reflects the contents of the 28 tracks and almost 75 minutes.
File under rewardingly different.
