| Cameron Smith
is a 31 year-old singer-songwriter based in London.
The Artist
 Cameron Smith is a fascinating and somewhat enigmatic artist. His music is as intellectual as it is theatrical and ranges from raw and complex to uplifting and seriously catchy.
Cameron’s songs tell stories with universal themes: love, loss, elation (and occasionally politics), often through allegories of nature. Nothing too unusual there, you might say - but try as you like to label Cameron’s songs as a particular genre, the label doesn’t quite stick. The fluid, arpeggio-driven piano suggests Rufus Wainwright or Tori Amos, while the rich, almost operatic baritone voice recalls the likes of a classical crossover artist, such as Josh Groban. The strong, catchy melodies bring to mind Elton John, while the reflective, poetic lyrics have aspects of Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1976, Cameron was raised in both Canada and Scotland (his mother hails from the island of Islay, off the West coast of Scotland) and settled permanently in the UK in 1995. The expansive, raw landscapes of the snow-covered prairies and sea-hewn Hebrides had a powerful impact on Cameron and images of these often feature in his lyrics (for example, The Warmlands or Soulsong). The Hebridean influence also resonates in his use of major to minor chord progressions, a key attribute of Scottish and Irish folk music.
Cameron began playing piano and organ at age 5 and wrote his first song at the age of 14. At 18, he wrote the score for a musical which was eventually performed at the Edmonton Fringe Festival (North America’s largest theatre festival). He recorded his first album All good things must come to a beginning in 2000, followed by The Quixotic Landscapes in 2003. In 2004, Cameron signed to Matchbox Recordings and Geography is Cameron’s first full album to secure a commercial release in the UK.
Like his music, Cameron is difficult to pigeon-hole. He doesn’t define himself by his music alone. He speaks five languages, holds a degree in French literature and linguistics and is a qualified lawyer. He has worked as a tour guide in France, Austria and Czech Republic, a baggage handler at Eurodisney and a director’s assistant in a film production company – and that’s before you ever get to his career as an associate in a corporate law firm! Even within the narrower domain of music, Cameron has been a choral scholar, studied opera and composed film scores. His songwriting naturally reflects this complex amalgam of experiences.
The Album
Geography is lyrical blend of folk and pop with infusions of classical and jazz. Cameron worked with producer Julian Chown (www.joulesproductions.co.uk) to give the music a warm, up-tempo sound. The album also features a regular collaborator of Cameron’s, the cellist Tanera Dawkins (www.taneradawkins.com) as well as some backing vocals by Deborah Sayers. The tracks range from the spine-tingling Soulsong, with its joyous and uplifting multi-layered chorus, to Burning Bush, an acerbic, symphonic critique of the ‘Dubya’ administration, to the raw, acoustic power of Like a River and The Warmlands. This is a truly original work and the mark of a genuinely new voice on the UK music scene.
Geography will be available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and a number of other online stores as well as Matchbox Recordings’ own store (www.matchboxrecordings.co.uk).
GEOGRAPHY – AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
NOW:
 I
have now completed my first full album to secure a commercial
release. The CD version of the album is available for purchase
now at a cost of £8.99 incl. p&p.
The commercial release date for Geography,
has been fixed for 25 FEBRUARY 2008. The album will
be digitally distributed by the record label
Matchbox Recordings and
Geography will be available for purchase as a digital download
at a number of leading online stores, including iTunes.
I will post further information on this site nearer the
time.
You can listen to four tracks from the new
album at my MySpace site: ww.myspace.com/cameronsmusiccouk.
Geography displays Cameron’s full musical range. While
it is, at heart, an acoustic album, it has a rich, up-tempo
sound with some funk and pop elements thrown in for good
measure. You’ll hear a lot of piano and strings along
with some quirkier instruments making an appearance from
time to time. The layering of different harmonies so there
can be a lot going on at one time but it produces some spine-tingling
results. The mix of pop, jazz, classical and folk gives
it an almost theatrical quality.
LAUNCH PARTY
I am organizing a launch party in Islington,
London, around the date of the commercial release. The party
will include a live performance of some of the songs from
the album, as well as plenty of food
and drink. I’ll circulate details closer to the date. |
