Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The subtly of Sheila K. Cameron’s performance hides a voice that the listener cannot help but look to when the surroundings call for enlightenment and passion, for when the regaling of beauty and atmosphere are in tandem, the reveal is all the more sweeter for having been in its company.
Life, like music, requires constant renewal as well as novel application of thought; you cannot live on new songs alone, the structure of the enjoyment requires a previous background upon which to work, to appreciate how far you and the performer have come, but also the same songs being presented in the same way time after time becomes dull, routine, and will eventually lose their appeal unless they are renewed, have fresh breath blown into them.
In Sheila Cameron’s latest recording, With You In My Life, (Songs: Recent and Renewed) that sense of a wheel continuing to turn on its axis with power, precision, and drive, is fully realised, and in an album that delivers monologue and music with a keen voice, the subject matter of her passion becomes dramatic, forceful and heartfelt as it ever was from the popular singer.
The exploration of the album comes down to the meeting of Brian Mitchell and Ms. Cameron, her thoughts on process and due inspection, of wanting to be by the side of a master, only to find a space in time and shape, and one that too time to, aptly as the album title incurs, renew.
Across tracks such as Don’t Hold The Hurt To Make It Easy, Don’t Sigh Even Slightly, As You Wrapped The String Around Me, Never Before, When Are You Going To Phone Me, And A Longing Goes To Rest, Rock Me Like A Child, and the album title track, With You In My Life, Sheila K. Cameron returns to the earthy stage and offers a healthy perspective on restoration of spirit, of repair after rest and recuperation.
There is nothing quite like hearing the belief in the crowd as two spirits reconnect, and With You In My Life, (Songs: Recent and Renewed) that spirit is wonderfully framed, positioned, and set free to thrill all who seek a rekindling of love and friendship to make their heart beat a little faster.
Ian D. Hall