Cam is very quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. Her breakthrough single ‘Burning House’ is a shoo-in for one of my favorite songs of the year, in my view surpassing several songs that may be more widely lauded, such as Little Big Town’s ‘Girl Crush’ and Carrie Underwood’s ‘Smoke Break’. Having seen her live twice over the summer, it is fair to say that my affection for this wonderful, chirpy, personable woman has only grown stronger, and I can’t wait to see what she brings out next.
For now however, Cam is releasing her EP to the UK market. Whilst I will wager that many fans in the UK will already have the record by some hook or crook, the continued expansion of the UK market into American consciousness is only a good thing, even if the ‘special releases’ are a little unnecessary and sometimes annoying.
The EP kicks off with her debut single ‘My Mistake’. A wonderful, upbeat country song, this is a great way to kick off a project that for many people will be a first taste of the talents of this wonderful artist. With a two-part harmony composed of vocals from Cam on both parts, the melody is immediately infectious and will stick with you for a good while! Backed by percussion and some filler bass, the song progresses quickly due to its fast tempo and fun atmosphere. Subject-wise the song revolves around falling for a stranger, and knowing that it may be a mistake but continuing with the courtship regardless, seeing where it will go. Whilst the subject matter has been done before, I really like the song, and it is the perfect opener for this debut EP.
‘Burning House’ (her current single) provides the real meat of the EP, being by far the best song on it, and for me it is the best stand-alone song of the year. With a wonderful guitar-picked background with some gentle bass to give the background some thickness, the song revolves almost solely on Cam’s great vocals. The lyrics are also sparse and moving, focusing on a dream that she had about a burning house, using it as a metaphor for a relationship that is going down. Taken with the beautiful melody, this is the complete song, and I can’t praise it highly enough.
‘Half Broke Heart’ is the weakest song on the EP, which is not to say that it is a bad song, it just feels more album-track than single. With a honky-tonk jazzy rhythm, it opens with a nice piano part before introducing the banjo and drums later in the verse. Musically the song is more interesting than the melody in my opinion and the lyrics mainly revolve around ‘A half-smoked cigarette’s still smoked’ and further metaphors to demonstrate that there doesn’t have to be a dramatic romantic tragedy for a heart-break to occur. Lyrically I am on board with the song, and it is great to demonstrate what a talent Cam is, both vocally and as a writer.
‘Runaway Train’ finishes off the record, and is a fantastically dramatic song, that is heavy in almost every aspect. With a fast and abrasive guitar strumming background, there is immediately a sense of urgency in the music, and when Cam’s fast vocals come in, there is definitely something cooking. Even as I listen, I feel myself typing about five times as fast as I was during ‘Burning House’, just due to the sense of panic that the music evokes! This just shows how effective the song is in conjuring emotions in the listener, and I absolutely love this song for that aspect. Melodically the song is rocky, showing a different side to Cam from the previous tracks on her EP, and I adore this style of music from her. It’s almost a shame ‘Burning House’ is so good, because I’ve already used many of my superlatives for that, leaving little for this!
Please please please get this EP, because it is absolutely fantastic, and shows that you can be authentic as an artist, whilst also making listenable, catchy, moving music. As a person, Cam seems awesome, and as an artist she is definitely awesome, so support this artist!
Originally posted here.
