Perhaps it is a sign of the times but I don’t often get to describe any musician as individual or, for that matter, unique. Sheila K Cameron can, however, only be described by using those two adjectives with “More Like A River Than A Road” reflecting seven songs from a copious catalogue of songs on to the mirror of today.
Sheila K Cameron is not one to follow trends or seek critical favour and her songs, perhaps unsurprisingly, tend more towards the poetic than the lyrical. She also has this rather addictive habit of stopping her songs before the finish as if leaving the listener in limbo gives her some perverse joy. Some may well find that irritating but, as with all things that require concentration to achieve appreciation, her alternative approach ultimately proves entrancing.
It is, for example, impossible for your heart to argue with the perfectly poised sentimentality that warms “The House with the Windows” or, indeed, the poetic construction of “Somehow” as, at the very least, they provide evidence that you can intermix language and emotion without becoming maudlin or confused as to actual intent.
Sheila K Cameron is unique and that, my friends, is all you really need to know.
This mini album is available on Bandcamp.