Saturday, November 22, 2008

JOHN CAMPBELL - One Believer (1991)



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General Information
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Artist...............: JOHN CAMPBELL
Album................: One Believer
Released.............: 1991
Genre................: Blues
Duration.............: 50:17
Number of Songs......: 10
Cover(s) Included....: Yes

Audio Format.........: MP3
Bitrate..............: CBR 192
Hz...................: 44,100
Channels.............: Joint Stereo


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Release Notes
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Track Listing:
01-Devil In My Closet-06:01
02-Angel Of Sorrow-04:16
03-Wild Streak-05:01
04-Couldn't Do Nothin'-03:48
05-Tiny Coffin-04:44
06-World Of Trouble-06:10
07-Voodoo Edge-04:09
08-Person To Person-03:50
09-Take Me Down-06:45
10-One Believer-05:33

Album Review:
The Elektra debut by the late bluesman John Campbell is a curious affair in more
than one respect-despite it's obvious excellence and original voice. The first
is that he was signed at all. Clearly in 1990 when Campbell signed his deal,
record company executives were still interested inn finding new and original
talent and developing them over a period of time. One Believer was outside of
virtually every trend on major labels and in pop at the time. Other than Chris
Whitley's Living with the Law, it was the only roots record issued on a major
label in 1991. The other thing is that One Believer is an oddity even for
Campbell. It's a deeply atmospheric record full of subtle shimmering organs and
warm guitar textures that accent the dreamy spooky side of the blues more than
the crunchy stomp and roll that Campbell was known for in the clubs -- and
displayed on his follow-up Howlin' Mercy. Tracks like "Angel of Sorrow," "World
of Trouble," and "Wild Streak" offer shimmering ambient textures from which the
blues emanate from the ether, tonally and melodically challenging all acceptable
notions of what Texas blues should sound like -- but then, Mr. Campbell was
living and working in New York and his music was certainly influenced by that
late-night environment. These are beautiful songs, tempered in shadow and
restraint while baring their teeth at all the right moments. Other places the
roadhouse magic comes out of the closet as on "Couldn't Do Nothin'," "Devil In
My Closet," and "Person to Person. On "Voodoo Edge," the slowhand blues meets a
crisscross New Orleans second-line backbeat a la Dr. John and comes up with
chunky honky-tonk piano and shakers to give the piece an "I Walk on Gilded
Splinters feel, extending Campbell's sound over a deeper, darker shade of roots
music. This in underlined by the album's last two tracks -- "Take Me Down" and
the title track -- which are menacing in their conviction and creepy swampy in
execution. This is a fine, fine debut that remains in print.
- Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

http://rapidshare.com/files/166364315/1021991.rar