PETER CAMPBELL

HAUNTED MELODY

Independent Label

Peter Campbell has chosen two handfuls of songs to sing with impressive lyrics.  Each tells a tale of love, both beautiful and unrequited. He opens with an Ivan Lins composition, “Sweetest Presence.”  Jazz singer, Jane Monheit wrote the beautiful English lyrics to this Portuguese classic. They tell a story of love gained and love lost in a very tender way.  The trumpet solo of Kevin Turcotte sweetly celebrates the tenderness of the moment. Campbell’s smooth jazz vocals caress each word, painting the lyrics with believability.

With perhaps a lesser-known repertoire, Peter Campbell offers this “Haunted Melody” album as a remembrance of a past romantic relationship.  Clearly, every song he sings is embellished with emotional content. He offers us three tunes written by Brazilian composers. This comes after spending the past four years exploring Brazilian music and Portuguese culture. On the Andre Previn and Milt Raskin tune, “Lost in a Summer Night” Campbell gives the tune a smooth Latin arrangement make-over.  The awesome flute of Bill McBirnie flies like a beautiful bird above the lilting Latin rhythm section.

This vocalist offers us his soft, sincere approach on every song, with a smooth sound that wraps around my ears like a warm kiss. The magic that makes someone a great singer is their ability to connect with the listener and make them believe every word shared. Campbell transmits his commitment without compunction.

Just listen to him tell his story on the Carl Sigman composition, “My Mood is You.”   He swings slowly across my listening room on “No One After You.”  Ethan Ardelli’s drums pop and lay the groove down, smooth as a cashmere carpet.  Adrean Farrugia puts a bit of blues into his piano, which helps celebrate these lyrics. Then up steps Michael Occhipinti on electric guitar. He lays down a solo B.B. King would be proud to hear.  This quickly becomes one of my favorite arrangements on Campbell’s album.

If you have loved and lost, these songs will mirror your pain and life lessons.  Each lyric is like a short story.  Campbell knows how to make you feel his every emotion with sincerity of tone and temperament.  This is a wonderfully produced album of heartfelt songs and a singer who knows how to sing them.  Some tunes are familiar like “Invitation,” but Peter Campbell introduces us to some tunes we may not have heard before.  Infectiously, he makes us want to hear them again and again.

PETER CAMPBELL BAND: Peter Campbell, vocals; Adrean Farrugia, piano/Fender Rhodes; Reg Schwager, hollow body electric guitar/nylon string acoustic guitar; Michael Occhipinti, electric guitar & effects/cuatro Puertorriquena/mandolin; Ross Macintyre, upright bass; Ethan Ardelli, drums; Alan Hetherington, percussion; Kevin Turcotte, trumpet/flugelhorn; Bill McBirnie, soprano & alto flutes; Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone; Ernesto Leite, orchestral programming/percussion; John ‘Beetle’ Bailey, additional drum programming.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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