Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

If the tale is right, if the story captures the imagination, then you are never truly Alone On The Road, there will always those that are captivated and feel blessed by your words, so much so that taking them to heart is not only an option but a mantra to live by.

For Sheila K. Cameron, the latest album is one of acceptance, taking the next step and putting the past, the true lonely trek should there be one, well and truly behind her. Alone On The Road may be a metaphor, an acceptance but it is filled with songs that explain a life and one that cannot be falsely praised. We all have a past, some are fortunate to have truly lived and experienced so much that being bland is something alien; we should all be so lucky to have tales to tell and the smile at some point on our faces.

Sheila K. Cameron has laid bare more than enough for three souls during 2016, her re-released songs have been lofty, enjoyable, daring and cool; they have been a point of reference for that life well lived and whilst some tracks have shown too much of the shadow in her life, in Alone On The Road that shadow is purposefully regaled and played with, it is though a shadow that has the brightest light upon it, like a pinhole camera, the truth is revealed by light and dark combining at the perfect moment.

In tracks such as the opener There’s An Old Sadness In Me, When The Sun Rose This Morning, She Put My Baby In The Drawer, I Don’t Believe You Care and When I Was A Bad Girl, the pathos in Sheila K. Cameron’s voice is heart breaking but also full of strength; the acceptance for actions taken and for moments that cannot be taken back hanging in the air and it is a very human heart that is capable of talking about them.

Sheila K. Cameron has taken stock of her life this past year and given it to the world, a rare gift, an unexpected and extraordinary bequest and one that sees her hold your hand as you drive along your own highway deep in thought.

Ian D. Hall