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Critical Acclaim and Reviews
SavingCountryMusic.com No
Depression, USA Obladoo.se
(Sweden) - Dan Harr
BigTakeover.com RootsTime.be - Robert K. Oermann Muziekvenster.nl Kamp ... surprises us again with some beautiful songs in the alt country and Americana genre. His professionalism and passion can be found ... soul influences, emotional ballads and beautiful country. - Gerrit Vermiej
Herring Brothers (Sweden) a great album... the embodiment of country soul and very melodious. a well played, meaty record ... and a train well worth
boarding. Anyone that enjoyed those left of center cats
that went on to grow legends will get this set immediately
and will probably be instrumental in helping Kamp's cult
grow. One of the best bits about this music critic gig is watching gifted artists get better and better. Ted Russell Kamp has long been making good solo records around his gig as the bassist for Shooter Jennings, with his most recent LP Poor Man's Paradise being particularly strong. So it's a pleasure to report that Get Back To the Land may be even better. The singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist's sixth solo
record essentially works the same groove as his prior
work, with blues, jazz and pop strains laced through a
base of early 70s country rock. The difference is that his
songsmithery is simply tighter and more tuneful than
before, and that's saying something. From the jaunty
barrelhouse of "Aces & Eights," the burning blues of
"Time is a Joker" and the sardonic C&W of the title
track to the sparkling jangle of "California Wildflower,"
the anthemic roots rock of "God's Little Acre" and the
soulful balladry of "(Down at the) 7th Heaven," Kamp
simply knocks one ball after another out of the park.
Clichés become new ideas in Kamp's mind (see the excellent
"Half Hearted" for a perfect example), melodies find a
comforting home in his hands, strings and horns and the
singing couldn't be any more personable and heartfelt.
Saturated in talent and sincerity, Get Back To the Land is
nothing more than good music done right. "The new album begins on a very strong note with California Wildflower', a song that Ted Russell Kamp performed live in Sweden last year. It's a beautiful, melodic and catchy song. It's followed by another 12 tracks written by Ted himself, or in collaboration with other musicians. The music has a span of country, southern rock and soul, which is Ted Russell Kamps hallmark. Last years 'Poor Man's Paradise' got awarded as 'One Of The Top 100 Americana CD's Of The Year". And 'Get Back To The Land' should deifintely end up equally good this year, because this is a really uplifting album. Lend an ear or two to the soul-funky 'Aces & Eights', the title-track 'Get Back To The Land', country smash 'If I Had A Dollar' or any of the other songs on the album, and I think you will agree with me. Sure, the music is a bit of 'cross-over', but with the right 'feel'. Ted Russell Kamp is a very talented songwriter and
skilled musician with a unique sound. The more I hear of
his music, the more convinced I am that his name will grow
among the country music audience!" Featured track: Aces & Eights from 'Get Back To The
Land' One of the things I'm most looking forward to about SXSW (besides copious tacos, BBQ and booze) is the chance to see a number of artists, whose records I really dig, but for some reason, rarely make it up here onto the tundra. Ted Russell Kamp is on that list. The long-time Shooter Jennings' sideman is an accomplished solo artist in his own right, responsible for a number of Shooter's most-loved tunes (Steady At The Wheel anyone?) as well as a handful of stellar rock-leaning country records that Nashville wouldn't dare sniff. His latest, Get Back To The Land, is ... his most
diverse to date and boosts a nice list of guest artists,
incluing Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Eric Heywood (Son Volt,
Ray LaMontagne), Tony Gilkyson (Lone Justice, X) and Robby
Turner (Waylon Jennings and the Highwaymen). Sadly, the
record won't hit American shores until May 10th, but
European fans are snapping it up like day-old pastries as
witnessed by his #1 position on the Euro-Americana charts
this past January. "Workmanlike fusion of country, rock and soul that grows
and grows and grows and grows on you..." A great albumTed Russell Kamp, long-time bass player in
Shooter Jennings' band, serves up a loose-jointed,
sunny-dispositioned Southern-rock/country sound with a
down-home, slightly psychedelic feel, super-solid ironic
moustache in tow. Reminds me of the salad days of
seventies album-rock. Back when absolutely everybody on
the southern California scene got to do a solo record or
two. Although he is perhaps best known (at least in the United States) as a bass player and sideman, Ted Russell Kamp is easily one of the most underrated songwriters in the music business today, crafting intelligent and eclectic songs with tons of soul as well as lyrics that more than hold their own with the best of the California country-rock tradition. When I spoke to Ted last Monday, he was spending some time at home in L.A. after playing three showcases at SXSW the previous week. He had just wrapped up producing an album for the band 29 Mules, his latest record Get Back to the Land had landed at the number one spot on the Euro Americana chart in January, and he was preparing to set out on the road again to support the album's American release in May. These days, it seems like Ted Russell Kamp is a star on the rise , both as a performer and a songwriter. But it's been a long and winding road to get there. "I started out doing a lot of different stuff," he says
… for full
feature, please use link above. We already knew him from "Poor Man's Paradise", an excellent example of a vision of American roots music in the round, starting from passing through country music and rock'n'roll, rhythm and blues and everything what has emerged from the deep South. "Get Back To The Land", another intriguing mix of influences that have made musician mature and complete, definitely worth knowing. From the start, "California Wildflower" is deliciously
radio-friendly with its electric guitars reminiscent of
the finest sounds of the 'Golden State' to the rousing "If
I Had A Dollar" which shows the same power and passion of
the greatest Texas bands, the most delicate and enveloping
"Lonelytown", the solemn and evocative "(Down At The) 7th
Heaven"in which references to the Band's Robbie Robertson
(as in "Aces & Eights" which looks like a new
"Ophelia, a small classic of the band) are clear,
everything is offered with extreme ease and taste, not by
a mere exercise of different styles but 'penetrating' the
true essence of the 'roots'. Continuing through the most
important things we can dwell on the album "Georgia Blue",
a sumptuous ballad between soul and country, "Time Is A
Joker" other (rock) dark and painful ballad whose veins
the spirit of the classics, the title-track "Get Back To
The Land" and the concluding "Half Hearted, beautiful
country song tones lighter and the long " Bottles On The
Table ", a worthy final confirmation of the quality of the
proposal. With his new album 'Get Back To The Land' L.A.'s
singer-songwriter Ted Russell Kamp is again delivering
extremely professional labour of love, showing his ability
to write and perform songs that are touching you straight
in the middle of your heart. This is once more a 'not to
miss' release by one of the most sympathetic guys ever in
the history of Americana music. ...(Get Back To The Land) opens almost brilliantly -
'California Wildflower' has echoes of the Byrds, Gram,
Ryan Adams and a chorus that blooms like the titular
flowers. Shooter Jennings side kick and one man band in his own
right, the torches continue to get passed as
singer/songwriter moves on, the Gurf Morlix vibe moves on
and everything roots etc moves on. New/next generation of
all of the above, this all around cat knows how to deliver
the Americana kick in just the right way. A shining
example of Americana/pop, Kamp is going to be setting the
margins of his own genre in due course with energy like
this still in full force 7 albums out. Well done. Kamp's distinctive Cali-country sounds are likely what
makes his presence in Texas so welcome. (He) manages to
push the influences of his life on the road (this guy has
literally seen the world from a tour bus) into his songs,
as he incorporates southern, soulful horns and roadhouse
boogie-woogie vibes into the mix. And hey, if there's
another thing we Texans love, it's Southern soul, right? A cool California country-rock song, Kamp's "California
Wildflower" is from his 2011 album, Get Back To The Land,
which has already debuted at #1 on at least one Americana
music chart...The raw passion of the songwriter is very
hip. Kamp sounds a little Springsteen-ish, the song is
slightly Eagles-ish, and the guitar is a tad
Mellencamp-ish, but it's totally digable. "California
Wildflower" is a freshly picked bloom by Ted Russell Kamp
just in time for Spring 2011. Kamp has put out thirteen songs that may have
Country-rock roots, but are pushed forward with nice
intensity and conviction...The arrangements and production
are solid with clarity and precision showcasing the guts
of the performances. Ted Russell Kamp, long-time bass player in Shooter
Jennings' band, serves up a loose-jointed,
sunny-dispositioned Southern-rock/country sound with a
down-home, slightly psychedelic feel. 2007's Divisadero, was a gem, and the follow-up, Poor
Man's Paradise, is even better. A gratifying mix of classic country rock and hard-nosed,
West Coast singer-songwriter styles ... honest-to-goodness
country rock ... and tunes you'll remember. the band play
like they're the best of friends. Take it out for a drive,
or settle down with it for a beer or two - I suspect it'll
be time well spent. Ted Russell Kamp mixes up roots, country, and southern rock to come up with a sound that's immediately radio friendly, at times anthemic but always hedgerowed with magnolias, whiskey, lament, and more than a few knowing and weary smiles. Poor Man's Paradise features an array of players, but the bottom line-up is a quartet: him on damn near any instrument he can get his hands on (guitars, horns, keyboards, percussion), Eric Heywood on pedal steel, Jason Sutter on drums, and Brian Whelen behind the keyboards. When it comes to horn sections, Kamp's a one-man back-up unit in a righteously boozy trumpet and trombone brass section. In fact, it was Let the Rain Fall Down that really caught me, a moody retrospective. In a lot of ways, you might think of Kamp as a Bob Seger cut with Ronnie Wood, adding a side of Memphis, a touch of Billy Squier, Steve Gibbons, some Ry Cooder, and a whole dogwood forest full of hound dogs and armadillos. Long Distance Man bounces and lopes with the old story of the rambling loner forever on the move, hunting down lissome delectables for an evening of sweet diversion before hitting the road again the next morning. For this and other down-to-earth virtues, Europe, ever hungry for quality American refrains, has taken to Kamp with open arms, and he spent the last part of 2008 there before hitting the West U.S. again, playing L.A., Luckenback, and elsewhere. I also find elements of Bobby Whitlock sprinkled
throughout the cuts here, as Whitlock covered a corner of
the country rock genre that few ever managed to emulate.
Most of the Poor Man's Paradise was recorded in Kamp's
living room (!) and this may account for the warmer more
informal sound in any event, it's a good documentation,
well layered, friendly, and loose while spot-on. For my
money, show clowns like Mellencamp the door, usher in Kamp
and his boys, and let's get down to it! Summer Listening Guide Feature Ted Russell Kamp is a man with a pedigree -
singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, session player,
and producer, as well as a member of Shooter Jennings
band, the 357's. And he still found time to craft his
second solo album, Poor Man's Paradise, a satisfying gumbo
of country, southern-fried rock and soul. Indie Artist Feature Outlaw country star takes aim with his latest solo
album Several quality albums into his own recording career,
Kamp's latest disc, Poor Man's Paradise (PoMo Records),
should establish his presence as an artist who just
happens to play bass for Jennings, and not the other way
around, for those who may have still needed that. Kamp sings in a voice similar to Rodney Crowell, but the
loose vibe of his music has its roots in the 1970s, the
free-swinging twang of Nashville, the laid-back cool of
California country-rock, and the Southern inflections of
Florida's Criteria Studios and Alabama's Muscle Shoals. He
even adds a one-man horn section of overdubbed trumpet and
trombone on a few tracks. Ted Russel Kamp's latest CD, Poor Man's Paradise, is
full of twangy hooks and lyrics full of memorable one
liners. His experience as bassist for the Shooter Jennings
Band comes through on this CD with songs that build up
over time. Beautiful populism in the lyrics, backing which is pure
in style and convincing singing: which turns into
great, country defined americana. He's the bass player in
Shooter Jenning's band The 357's, but he's also a true
solo artist. I love "Let The Rain Fall Down", reminiscent
of The Band. A very, very good album as a whole and
a big step closer to the big stages! Kamp delivers a rich blend of roots, country-rock and
soul that Britain's venerable Maverick magazine calls
'Americana with plenty of heart and guts' in its recent
four-star review." "Ted takes the Americana genre to the next level adding
elements of country, blue grass, and groove. Truly a great
songwriter with a voice to match! I am proud to keep Ted's
music in regular rotation on my show to introduce as many
people as possible to this one of a kind musician" Poor Man's Paradise ... is as real as any album
gets. Ted Russell Kamp has already proven himself as a
songwriter and performer and, honestly, doesn't need this
review to validate his abilities in any of these areas.
The overall feel of this album harkens to a time gone by,
back when albums didn't need more shine than song. The
recording style seems reminiscent of Willie Nelson's
"Teatro." Raw. Live. Real. Go buy the CD and listen to
every track until it won't play anymore. Then buy another
copy and repeat the process. Take special note of the
title track, "Ballad of that Guy," "Dixie" and "Let the
Rain Fall Down." Stay to the end, because my favorite
track is "Player Piano," a song that is a reminder of how
people still found time for fun and music during the Great
Depression. We might should all take notes. Bottom
line: "Poor Man's Paradise" is your gateway to a
style of songwriting and performing that is honest, raw
and, frankly, much needed in this music scene. Ted Russell Kamp's loose-jointed, sunny-dispositioned
Southern rock/country sound has a down-home, slightly
psychedelic feel. Even a song with a melancholy touch,
like "Let the Rain Fall Down," gets livened up in that
case with perky brass (played by Kamp, a
multi-instrumentalist, and the bass player in Shooter
Jennings' band). Whether it's bright country ("Just a
Yesterday Away"), stripped-down blues reminiscent of J.J.
Cale ("Long Distance Man"), or a rainy-day love ballad
("Let Love Do the Rest"), there's a wink and a smile
behind just about all these songs. When you really strip things down to the bare basics of
what makes music good it essentially will always lead you
to a good song. A good song is what makes music likeable
on different levels. For some it is the lyrics, for others
the music around them, and for Ted Russell Kamp it is
obviously the perfect combination of both as he shows on
his latest album Poor Man's Paradise. Translated from the German. Original here. "The
native New Yorker Ted Russell Kamp has today a domicile in
Los Angeles, however is almost continuously on the road.
Thus his CD was taken up "Divisadero" - some fine work
done also on the road, in hotel rooms, in the living room
to LA or also in the route bus. Kamp is even a talented
multi-instrument musician, beside singing and his main
instrument, bass, also plays guitars - inclusive Lap Steel
guitar - plays Bouzouki, mandoline, accordion, Wurlitzer,
Hammond organ, Perkussion, trumpet and trombone. He worked
with different outstanding musicians together and
individually, in order to give to the 11 self-compositions
the necessary variety. Varied is also the selection of the
songs. It gives quiet Country Ballads, which press on the
tear gland, over slow bluesey Road Songs up to rockin'
Blues pieces, rhythmic Country Songs and jazzey undertone
to everything. My favorite is: A bluesy Country Ballad,
"Gypsy's Tune", with which beside Kamps winsome singing,
particularly stands out with the pedal Steel guitar of
Eric Heywood. The funky Blues slash Road Song "Another One
Night Stand", which is brilliant with the interaction of
Kamp's guitar, piano (Brian Wheelan) and Drums (Mike
Sessa) and the great rhythm. Kamp plays with Shooter
Jennings in his band the 357's and his friend joins for a
song. With the jazzy "Better Before You Were Big time"
unite the singing of the two mad musicians with the sound
of Michael Webb's Hammond organ and Kamps horn. And with
the Road Song "The Road Keeps Getting Longer" produces 357
bandmate Leroy Powell at the Dobro, Kamp at the banjo and
Jennings at the Piano a create a melancholy tendency. Ted
Russell Kamp becomes of North star Entertainment as the
brightest new star of the Americana genre. I think that
this praise is quite earned. Solid music history connects
itself with mad compositions, excellent singing and simple
however perfect arrangements." |
