Nicole Campbell
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Folk-influenced pop/rock
Status:
Most recent release, Arm's Distance (2004)
See also:
Nicole Campbell's site
Comparisons:
Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan
Covers/own material:
Own and co-written
General comments:
I like to plug my favorite Portland area singer/songwriter/bad-joke-teller whenever I get the chance: Nicole Campbell. Her CDs (Little Voice and Songs from the Red Room) kick serious butt. (tiefe@dsl-only.net)
Recommended first album:
Little Voice if you lean towards folk or rock; Songs from the Red Room if you lean towards folk-pop
Recordings:
- Little Voice (1998)
- Songs from the Red Room (2001)
- Arm's Distance (2004)
Little Voice
Release info:
1998—Wrought Iron Records (PO Box 82931, Portland, OR 97282)—WIR 0373 2
Availability:
See Nicole Campbell's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Nicole Campbell—vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion
Guest artists:
Tim Ellis—electric guitars, acoustic guitar
Tom Gilberts—upright bass, bass
Mike Snyder—drums, shakers, percussion, bells, concert bass drum
Ben Wertheimer—djembe, percussion
Brenda Dickey—backing vocals (1-7, 9, 10 )
Mel Kubik—accordion keys, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (1-7, 9, 10)
Dirk Sullivan—electric guitars
Brad Price—mandolin
Phil Neuman—penny whistle, recorders, sac butts, krummhorns
Gary Ogan—backing vocals (4, 5, 7, 9)
Steve Hale—electric guitar, insect politics on electric guitar
Lori Presthus—cello
Skip Parente—violin
Terry Robb—weisenborn slide guitar
Don Schwarz—bass
Tarik Banzi—oud, tar
Gayle Neuman—recorders, sac butts, krummhorns
Produced by:
Mel Kubik & Nicole Campbell (Mike Moore, co-producer)
Comments:
Great debut from a woman who does not have a little voice but is a polished and self-assured singer, songwriter, and musician. This album is very folky, but is also probably the most rock-oriented of the three she's released to date. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Songs from the Red Room
Release info:
2001—Wrought Iron Records (PO Box 82931, Portland, OR 97282)—WIR 0825 2
Availability:
See Nicole Campbell's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Nicole Campbell—vocals, acoustic & sexy electric guitars
Guest artists:
Tony Lash—textures, noises, weird guitars, keys, melodica, drums, percussion, samples, loops and programming
Luther Russell—bass, electric guitar, Wurlitzer
David Langenes—electric guitar, backing vocals
Brian Cutler—electric bass, backing vocals
Phil Baker—upright bass
Lori Presthus—cello
Ned Failing—drums
Eric Furlong—bass
Produced by:
Tony Lash
Comments:
A really good folk/pop/rock album. All 9 tracks are solid, and some like "Fly Away" are especially catchy. But my favorite is "Breathe," which is open and spacious and, well, breathes. Seventeen years later, the album sounds as fresh as ever. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Arm's Distance
Release info:
2004—Wrought Iron Records (PO Box 82931, Portland, OR 97282)—WIR 0006
Availability:
See Nicole Campbell's site
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Nicole Campbell—vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, percussion, synth (10)
Guest artists:
James Beaton—hammond, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, fever piano, melotron, clavinet
Leah Hinchcliff—bass, harmony vocals
Ned Failing—spirit of live drums
Josh Boyd—theremin rapture (1, 2, 5)
Simon Widdowson—electric guitar (9, 10); harmony vocals (5)
Skip Von Kuske—cello (1, 7, 8)
Ezra Holbrook—percussion (1-4, 7-10)
Keith Schreiner—brilliant beats, synth (11)
Laurie Miller—electric guitar (1)
Paul Brainard—pedal steel (5, 6)
Derek Sims—trumpet (7)
Adam Wayne—electric guitar (8)
Jay Bozich—rabbit art (11)
Produced by:
Keith Schreiner, Nicole Campbell & Simon Widdowson
Comments:
The most 'pop' of Nicole's releases. It's a solid album, but isn't as distinctive to me as Little Voice or Songs from the Red Room. I do love her cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" though. (JoAnn Whetsell))
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for her work on this entry.
