Album Review: Nicholas Campbell, Livin' and Other Western Ideas

Nicholas Campbell isn't that well-known in Canadian country circles. But that's understandable still being a few years from drinking age. The teenager has put out an interesting debut that sounds as if Brian Setzer and George Jones have been touchstones in his music.

Campbell and company shuffle their way through nine tunes of strong honky-tonk bar and some great guitar work on "I Can't Deal With It" resembling Carl Perkins and Dwight Yoakam, if they had a love child. And the closing instrumental "Pasta" would make The Sadies jealous.

At the same time the musician, who wrote all of the material, shines on the perky opener "Coming Home To You" that isn't as raunchy as the Stray Cats but falls in that rockabilly style. But Campbell opts for a fine country classic format for "If You're Leaving" and "Livin'" that both hit all the right toe-tapping, pedal steel-tinged places.

Given his age, and this being his debut, there are a few minor hiccups along the way but time is more than on his side in terms of career. "I Watched You Walk Away" is a memorable tune on a strong debut that the late "Possum" would be proud of.

Livin' and Other Western Ideas was released February 27, 2021.
Listen to it here.