Cam – Welcome to Cam Country
Camaron Marvel Ochs is a country singer from California, which explains just why she lacks the strong southern accent which characterises many of her fellows. With the recent success of her heartfelt single ‘Burning House’, she has come to the wider attention of the music-consuming public. They’re late to the party, however, as the Welcome to Cam Country EP pre-dates the single’s success and features the work of high-profile songwriters and producers such as Luke Laird and Jeff Bhasker. Though the celebrated entourage have led many a success during their careers, the broad appeal that makes this EP so nourishing is entirely Cam’s to claim.
Intelligent, educated turns of phrase are the roots of the set, as with all the best country music, perhaps aided as much by her scholastic background in psychology as by the talented co-writers. Positivity is a style that Cam has down to a T, and it never feels less than sincere. We’re talking about a person who wears yellow every day, in order to “bring the sunshine with me, wherever I go”. She’s fresh-faced and breathtakingly honest, and offers nothing less than unorthodox angles throughout her lyrical material. ‘Half Broke Heart’, case in point, is one of the most clever, relatable songs lyrically of recent times, fleshed out with a wonderfully optimistic melody and pop-country stylings that never feel excessively polished.
Cam puts to good use a pure vocal timbre that is, at times, strikingly similar to that of Miranda Lambert. In the critical world of modern country music, Lambert is without a doubt the one to beat, but Cam is never in competition with anybody, and her music is all the better for it. While the production varies across all four tracks, each feels honest, and never as though the producers have treated their work as the method to aim for an audience. Between the traditional honky-tonk piano of the aforementioned ‘Half Broke Heart’ and the driven rock guitars of ‘Runaway Train’, Cam’s personality remains the focal point.
Despite the high quality of the entire EP, it is clear that ‘Burning House’ is the standout. With its minimalist approach to instrumentation, and its non-standard time signature which allows for a poignant atmosphere, a vehicle is created for Cam’s voice to carry some wonderful imagery. It may well be the only song of its kind reaching high up the charts right now, which makes it all the more remarkable. I feel well-and-truly welcomed to Cam Country, and there’s every chance that the mainstream country will swing to that conclusion too, given the opportunity. The four songs not only bode well for the future, but also feel wholesome and fulfilled in their current form.
