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EP Review: Welcome to Cam Country by Cam

It makes me chuckle when people talk as if there aren't that many women in country music. It's amusing because that's so far from the truth. There are so many up and coming female artists out right now. Not even getting into women who have been in the public eye for years and are still putting out great music. We'll talk about some of them later on. Today it's all about an up-and-comer. Namely...



Cam. There's been a lot of buzz surrounding Cam and that makes me happy because it's very well deserved. She's another one who takes me back to the '90s and early '00s. It's a nice throwback and it makes me wonder why we kind of got away from songs like this. Welcome to Cam Country kind of rocks. No, not kind of. It does rock. There's four songs on it, so let's talk a bit about them.

"My Mistake" This was the lead off single and it's all about hooking up with what inevitably be a mistake. But it's her mistake to make and she's going to make it. Starting off with just the vocals, I like the way the music comes it. It grabs your attention at the very beginning andif the lyrics won't keep it, the driving beat will. This one might be all about the bass drum, musically speaking. It's catchy. It's cool. It deserves to be cranked up. It also deserved far more radio play than it got.

"Burning House" The new single. Cam just released the lyric video for this which I'll include below. One of the more interesting songs I've heard in a while. The music is low key and beautifully simple. The crackling sounds in the background add a nice touch. Cam delivers a stunning lead vocal in a song that is about a woman who has done her man wrong. I love hearing this take on it, as songs in this vein usually come from the male perspective. Women mess up too, after all, and it's nice to hear songs about it. Strong lyric.

"Half Broke Heart" If I have one problem with this EP, it's that my favorite song changes depending on whichever one I'm listening to. This is a pretty great  problem to have, so I can't complain about it too much. A song about how just because it wasn't true love, it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt when it's over. As Cam puts it, "A half smoked cigarette's still smoked/ And a half broke heart's still broke". She's not wrong. I love the way this song feels and it seems that I am incapable of listening to this without singing along. 

"Runaway Train" Ah, how I love when the first few notes completely set the tone for the rest of the song. A lot of songs do this, but it's a small amount of songs that do it this well. Just two seconds in and you know that there's trouble brewing. The first thing that come to mind before the vocal comes in? Uh-oh. It's like the way it feels just before a horrific storm starts. See, this is a song about vengeance. Or perhaps more accurately, the thirst for vengeance. It's the woman who has been wronged this time and this guy better watch out. There's a darkness to the words that is practically delicious. My favorite thing about this song is that the music always feels like it's on the verge of spinning completely out of control. Of going off the rails, as it were. How wonderfully appropriate. So big props to all of the musicians for doing such a great job. 

All in all, Welcome to Cam Country does what an EP should do. It gives you a taste of who an artist is and an idea of what we can expect from them. The good ones make you want a full length album; the great ones make you want it ASAP. This is a great one. See for yourself. You can find it on iTunes here or Amazon here

It would not surprise me to learn that some of my readers have already checked Cam out on social media. For those of you who have not, you can find her at the following places.

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