Barbara Jo Kammer - One Song at a Time
The ten songs on Barbara Jo Kammer’s
debut solo release One Song at a Time are definitely lived in. They are never
oppressive in their conveyance of life’s experience but, rather, never draw
back from facing the reality of the situations they depict. They are
accompanied by rich musical arrangements and on target performances that
complement the lyric nicely without ever going overboard. The production is
quite obviously top notch despite this being a decidedly indie affair or labor
of love and it further frames the material on One Song at a Time in the best
possible light. The center of it all, however, is certainly Kammer’s voice. Her
day job as a music therapist positions her to make a success of this release in
a way few other singers could – she truly makes the most of this cathartic
moment and delivers one spine-tingling performance after another to make this a
must have release.
“I Can See Clearly” is one of the most
recognizable tunes on One Song at a Time, but Kammer isn’t interested in a
straight cover. She adepts the tune for her particular stylistic purposes and
dispatches it with the sort of fluidity that the original performers and covers
that followed never dreamed of. It’s to her credit that she’s never interested
in simply duplicating someone else’s artistic glories but, instead, shows such
interest in claiming a bit of the song as her own alone. A similar experience
informs her performance of “Choices”. First popularized by country legend
George Jones, this fearlessly blunt appraisal of a life wasted drinking elicits
one of Kammer’s most impassioned vocals. She’s careful, however, to never go
too far over the top with it and allows the excellent lyric do its poetic best
and conveying the despair that only alcoholics and drug addicts, or those
affected by such behaviors, can truly experience. “So Good” lightens the mood
considerably with its breezy bluegrass pace and the positivity that seems to
flow from the lyric. Sandwiching “Choices” between these two tunes gives the
first quarter of the album an unique feel that she continues to build on as the
album progresses.
“In a Cabin on the Mountain by the
Pine” is pure, 100 proof bluegrass with no chaser and she imbues the song with
all the pastoral grace that listeners will expect by this point. Songs like
this live and die by the singer, but Kammer has an uncanny talent for making
the reality of these musical worlds come alive in a vivid way. “The Winning
Side” underscores that aforementioned talent in its invocation of the day to
day gratitude she now experiences after freeing herself from the damaging
effects of substance abuse. This is a song about healing, in some ways, and
should prove to be an inspiring listen for many. The album, as a whole, is an
inspiring musical ride that never fails to connect. There’s no filler on One
Song at a Time and she explores its wide range of emotions like a performer who
has made countless albums rather than someone embarking on a solo singing
career at the improbable age of sixty two. In the end, age really is just a
number.
David Shouse
I would like to thank you on behalf of Barbara Jo! (I am her executive assistant.) She really appreciates your time and dedication. Feel free to contact her at barbarajo@barbarajokammer.com if you have any questions :)
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