Callum
may live in Southampton now but he grew up in Glasgow and then emigrated to Canada
before settling on our southern shores. All this moving around made it difficult
to keep a band together so he decided to go down the solo artist route. I
have to admit that I wasn't holding out much hope for Callum's CD - a good chunk
of the solo efforts that come into us at BBC Southampton are vocalists who seem
to have forgotten to write good songs or think that a dodgy keyboard is all they
need to show off their voice. So
I was pleasantly surprised and incredibly relieved when the speakers blasted out
the strong opening track Play The Fool and it revealed that Callum has a full
and experienced band of musicians backing him. He's also taken the time to produce
the music properly. He obviously knows what he's doing. The
song boasts Oasis-style arrangements and long, lingering guitar solos which show
that Callum knows when to step back and let the instruments let rip. He's
also a bit of a dab hand at songwriting. The CD is crammed full of diverse songs
- each one with a slightly different feel but with a distinctly alternative streak
running through them. His songs are also full of little quirky, unexpected sections
to break up the tunes and keep you interested. Wake Up
is another very strong track which uses Beck-like layered vocals and begins with
a delicate acoustic guitar before launching into a rocked up chorus with heavy
distortion. This
Is My World, on the other hand is an acoustic ballad. Rather than being slushy
or stomach-churningly cheesy it's a dark and atmospheric track with some moody,
reverbed guitar. Callum sensibly keeps the song short to prevent it from becoming
too gloomy. The
highlight of the 11 track CD for me is It's All I Can Do. The edgy track uses
rocked-up acoustic guitars as well as underlying distorted electrics to power
out a riff which is reminiscent of Radiohead's Just. As
one of the more up-tempo songs on the album, it really does stand out. The song
includes a quirky, effect-laden guitar solo and Callum spitting lyrics help to
carry the track along. If any of his songs are going to stick in your head, it's
this one. The
album finishes with the epic piano-led ballad Did I Let You Down. The sorrowful
tune perhaps shows his singer/songwriter skills off best and has a touch of Elton
John's style about it. Having
influences like Bowie and The Beatles it's hardly surprising that Callum tries
to merge diverse styles into his music. Each
song has something different to offer and this makes the whole CD very easy to
listen to. Callum's
ear for a good melody is undeniable and this CD is a great showcase of his talent.
I for one hope to hear more from Callum very soon. What
do you think of Callum? Give him a star rating.
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