With a voice like a fallen angel who’s smoked too many fags, Campbell is something of an enigma. Born in Scotland and into a family of lay preachers (his father) and hymn writers (his grandparents), Campbell soaked up the religious ether of this existence and then ignored it as best he could. He initially made something of a splash in the mid-1990s when he stood out amongst the more itinerant Glaswegian flotsam and jetsam and signed a development deal with WEA aged just 18. He followed this by signing to EMI and recording his debut album ‘Fresh New Life’ before he had turned 20. This was the point when we were all meant to fall in love with him for the first time. Of course, your good selves know as well as anyone else that true love never happens like this and so it came to pass (are you liking the religious references yet?) that Campbell fell out with EMI (didn’t we all?), blew his advance on drugs and friends (in that order) and then fell on his feet quick enough to get a cute scar on his left cheek and a bunch of songs that tell the whole sordid tale.
Which brings us to the here and now and how on earth Campbell got to be oh-so-joyfully concerning us all over again. And, of course, the answer is simple – Joy. Joy is a beautiful collection of songs that fulfill all the potential Campbell promised us all those years ago. Recorded earlier this year on a home studio, Campbell plays everything himself (apart from the bass) and this naked confidence is supremely evident throughout the whole record. Campbell’s own uneasy listening includes Tom Waits, Elliot Smith, Neil Young, anything from Exile On Main Street or Sticky Fingers (in fact you should hear Campbell’s piano version of Gimme Shelter - it’s enough to make you wonder whether you’re allowed to witness something this brittle), and anything by Bob Dylan.
Most recently MUSIC WEEK have sourced and tipped this true talent & he is currently touring along side Sandie Thom.
