Jim Campilongo Electric Trio – American Hips
It is easy to have your own sound on guitar just play what you feel. So why do most guitarists sound like carbons of other guitarists? They work very hard at it, sitting in their rooms for days copying famous licks, gaining pre-sold acceptance.
Jim Campilongo obviously put in serious listening time, but somehow it got filtered through a sensitive, fiery, quirky personality, coming out fresh and distinctive. He wrings the elements of his soul through a Telecaster and puts them on display for the public. Its scary stuff, another reason so few attempt it.
Campilongos courageous exposure provides us with the naked romanticism of Between Your Toes, the carnival wackiness of Like, Hello?, and the swampy grit of Jims Blues. Another distinctive voice, Norah Jones, helps out on Sweet Dreams And Stella.
Critic Paul Williams once said, We meet the artists who are important to us in those works of theirs in which they meet themselves. Campilongo meets himself every time he picks up his instrument; that brand of artistic bravery is rare and to be treasured.