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Brand new country singer Cam has released her first EP since signing with Arista Nashville, and its title, Welcome to Cam Country, is a perfect fit. This collection of songs is everything that country music ought to be. Its lyrics are clever, the production is clean and fresh, it is infectious but still credible—Cam has certainly crafted her own subgenre of country music and Cam Country seems like a wonderful place to live.
Everything about these four tracks feels natural. The lyrics are metaphorical without trying too hard, with lines that are poetic without becoming forced comparisons to obligatory country music motifs. On the second track, "Burning House," an enchanting love song that has already garnered radio play as a single, Cam compares a failing relationship to a burning house, rather than, say, a John Deere that just won’t start. The production of the EP is also essential to its merit—Jeff Bhasker and Tyler Johnson have avoided the tired, washed-out sound of many albums that try to hold onto the classic country music sound. Welcome to Cam Country is not pop-country, but it doesn’t sound outdated, either. It is completely modern but with that classic sound. This is a balance that is rare, especially with top radio hits. (The debut albums from Edens Edge and Maddie & Tae managed to capture this fresh production as well, thanks to the miraculous Dann Huff, who produced both of those albums.) This bar is shutting down / I don’t mind if you walk me out / oh, that’s kinda what life’s about Welcome to Cam Country has substantial lyrics, irresistible hooks, and all the elements of a respectable radio hit and award-winner. Should Cam’s future full-length album match the quality of her EP, it would be quite a feat, and a gift to us all. We need more music like this on our country stations and our iPods.
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I’m spending this fall semester in Florence, Italy, taking a couple of classes and eating a lot of pizza. I figured since I’m on the other side of the world now, I could try writing something in a different format. My beautiful birthday-twin Summer told me that I ought to pick a collection of songs to listen to this semester so that I can always return to those songs and get all nostalgic for these next few months. Some of these songs are brand new, some of them I grew up listening to; they either entertained or comforted me, respectively, on my flight across the Atlantic. So here’s what I listened to on a very long journey from New York, New York to Geneva, Switzerland to Florence, Italy. Let me know what you think! 1. “Moving to Brussels” – Bhi Bhiman This is such an obvious plane song that I almost feel guilty about making it the first one on this playlist. I first heard it when I was walking through H&M a few weeks ago and I've been listening to it religiously ever since. It's simple yet anthemic. If you're not leaving the country any time soon, I recommend listening to it while driving with your windows down, preferably on a Friday afternoon on your way home from work. A song with allusions to famous cities and a proclamation of the will to get there has to be great. Combine that with a full, authentic band and clapping, and you've got a perfect jazz hit. Bhiman did a great job on the video, too. It's a hilarious play on the movie Whiplash, which I also loved. If you haven't seen it, go watch it, like, right now. (Actually, finish reading this first. Then go watch it.) Favorite Lines: I'm packing up and moving out / the keys are on the table, I’ve decided Click here to listen to it. 2. “Darlin’ Do Not Fear” – Brett Dennen This song is full of calm, subtly reassuring lyrics, that you'll need in times of panic, but they're disguised in an upbeat, folksy-reggae sound. Instead of minimizing your worries and anxieties, it acknowledges their legitimacy, then calms you down without your realizing it (something I truly needed on this flight). It cites anecdotes and lists advice, and eventually tells you, "sometimes all that you can do is say no," which is my absolute favorite piece of advice. Favorite Lines: If you have a broken heart or a battered soul / find something to hold on to or to let go Click here to listen to it. 3. “Pompeii” – Bastille My first-ever seventh grade Latin test was on Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. I’ve always been fascinated by Pliny’s account of the eruption and this song is actually a pretty accurate commentary on the event. I’m quoting the entire chorus below, because Bastille deserves some recognition for writing a song about history that can also seamlessly apply to everyday situations. Songwriting goals, for sure. I picture this song playing as the volcano erupted back in the lovely year 79. The heavy drums and background echoes capture the actual sound of the eruption as well as any song possibly could. Pliny would be proud. It's important to note that the hook (“how am I gonna be an optimist about this?”) would totally be my catchphrase if I were a cartoon character or an SNL character or someone else who would need a catchphrase. (My roommates can attest to this.) Favorite Lines: But if you close your eyes / does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? / And if you close your eyes / does it almost feel like you've been here before? / How am I gonna be an optimist about this? Click here to listen to it. 4. “Baby Don’t You Lie To Me!” – The Fratellis I actually wrote a review of this song about a month ago for the magazine I work for. I'm still listening to it, which is the coolest thing about writing for EUPHORIA. You can read all the nice things I already said about this song by clicking here. Favorite Lines: I can handle the thought of you despising me / dancin’ on my grave and baptizing me / as long as baby you don’t lie to me Click here to listen to it. 5. “Vienna” – Billy Joel It’s hard to even write about Billy Joel because he is practically a god in my Long Island household. Let me just say that this is one of my favorite songs of all time, if not my absolute favorite, and I tear up almost every time I hear it. (It also plays during the most emotional scene of 13 Going on 30, which contributes to my tears as well.) It felt incredibly appropriate as the soundtrack for the crazy adventure I was beginning, not only because it mentions a European city, but because of its whole mantra of hey, you're doing alright, give yourself some credit. There’s something natural about turning to old songs while doing something scary. This song feels like home to me. I couldn’t just pick one favorite line of this song, which is exactly why it’s my favorite ever, so Favorite Lines, in no particular order: But then if you're so smart / tell me why are you still so afraid? You can get what you want or you can just get old Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight, tonight Though you can see when you're wrong / you know you can't always see when you're right / you're right You got your passion / you got your pride / but don't you know that only fools are satisfied? Click here to watch/listen to it, and grab some tissues. 6. “Pumpin Blood” – NONONO This little gem should pick you up from the masochistic “Vienna.” "Pumpin' Blood" sounds like it’s from another galaxy that I’m not cool enough to visit. It’s a total feel-good song and it’s also great for working out. At least, I imagine it is—since hearing it a few weeks ago, I have yet to actually work out while listening to it. Since hearing it a few weeks ago, I have yet to actually work out. Favorite Lines: Cause it's your heart / it's alive / it's pumping blood / and the whole wide world is whistling Click here to listen to it. 7. “St. Judy’s Comet” – Paul Simon I think I was drawn to this song during my flight because I find Paul Simon (and Garfunkel) very comforting. I unknowingly listened to them while growing up, thanks to my dad. I also listened to them all last winter, when it snowed a lot and I cried a lot. I heard this song for the first time recently, and it feels like being wrapped up in a big fleece blanket in the dead of January. Favorite Lines: 'Cause if I can't sing my boy to sleep / well it makes your famous daddy / look so dumb Click here to listen to it. 8. “Kick Drum Heart” – The Avett Brothers "Kick Drum Heart" sounds like it’s straight out of the triumphant scene of a movie, about 25 minutes in, when everything is going well for the characters (right before everything goes wrong). It’s an excellent one for flying, driving, running, or just walking down the street and pretending your life is a scene from an indie moving starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt with an Ingrid Michaelson-esque soundtrack. (In this scenario, you can choose to be either Joseph Gordon-Levitt or his love interest. It’s entirely up to you. Choose wisely.) Favorite Lines: We're holdin' hands in the rain / s-sayin' words like I love you / d-do love me? / yeah / my, my heart like a kick drum Click here to listen to it. 9. “Brand New” – Ben Rector Now I must enter the Ben Rector stage of this playlist. Right before my flight, Joe Piro, my middle school boyfriend/musical soulmate, bought a bunch of music for me and sent it to me in an email saying simply, “thought you might need some plane music,” and that’s why he’s the real MVP. He sent me the masterpiece that is Ben Rector's new album (also titled Brand New), and Joe should know that I am not emotionally stable enough to handle the kind words and sweet anecdotes and heart wrenching hooks of Ben Rector on an average day. Nevertheless, he sent me an album that gave me so many plane feels. “Brand New” is happy and exciting and every single line stands out with its own individual charm. Favorite Lines: I feel a lot like seventeen Click here to listen to it. 10. “Paris” – Ben Rector Now, Joe knows that I’ve had an irrational emotional attachment to the city of Paris since visiting it two years ago, and that I'm dying to go back and will probably visit sometime next month. This song is a classic Ben Rector-style love song, not too gratuitous or braggadocios, with little sentiments of true love that can make even the most cynical listener start to believe again. Favorite Lines: Nervous at the bakery not speaking French Plus, the video is adorable and everything you could ever want your Paris Vlog to be. Click here to watch/listen to it. 11. “Note To Self” – Ben Rector This song has a John Mayer sound and prophetic lyrics. From all of the abroad-blogs I've read and the informational meetings I've attended, studying abroad is supposed to make you a better, more well-rounded, more genuine person who's really sure of who they are as a human being. (Accuracy TBD.) This song sticks with that theme of figuring out who you are and what's important to you and how to be a good person. "Note To Self" is applicable to everyone yet feels personal—the true sign of good songwriting, once again. This is one of my favorites. Favorite Lines: Note to self / keep choosing her / cause she’s yours and wonderful and / forever is a long time to be sad (I have two for this one, because Ben Rector) I don’t know how long I have to keep reminding myself / to be who I want to be and not somebody else Click here to listen to it. 12. “30,000 Feet” – Ben Rector To round up this section, I listened to a song called “30,000 Feet.” While on a plane. To another country. By myself. GREAT TIMING, JOE. This track takes a storyteller approach, a classic move in country music, and although Rector lives in Nashville now, his music lacks any twang. It's a familiar and often overdone angle, but the verses are sweet enough to ignore a cliché chorus. Favorite Line: He asked me what it must be like / singing songs under the lights / well / it's got its moments / just the same as anything / I miss my town, I miss my wife Click here to listen to it. 13. “You Know I’m No Good” – Amy Winehouse I already talked in an earlier post about my recent undying obsession with Amy Winehouse. I am at the point where Back to Black will always bring me back to the summer of 2015, more specifically, to the week of my sister’s wedding, so I listened to this on the plane and was very, very grateful that I had a very, very good summer. It made me nostalgic for hot days and commutes from one job to another and long drives down Sound Avenue in the early morning and #Marl2015. Favorite Lines: By the time I'm out the door / you tear men down like Roger Moore Click here to listen to it. 14. “Boy Problems” – Carly Rae Jepsen I'm as embarrassed about this one as you may imagine, but I am trying to be very honest in this post, and, of course, honesty often requires vulnerability. I had heard really good things about Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion, plus she made that awesome music video with Tom Hanks, so I thought a nine-hour plane ride would be a good opportunity to give the album a chance. I ended up either hating or becoming blatantly indifferent to every track but this one. This one is cool because it's catchy and fun and it has a little plot twist in it. As Carly talks about her boy problems, her best girl friend actually becomes incredibly annoyed at her going on and on about this dude, and their friendship is damaged by her stories. These are the details you notice when you're on a plane for a ridiculous number of hours. Let me know if the voiceover in the beginning makes you laugh like I do every time. Ultimately, "Boy Problems" is better for getting ready to go out with your friends than it is for a plane ride. But it took me several hours to realize that, so maybe it was just what I needed at the time. Favorite Lines: I think I broke up with my boyfriend today and I / don't really care / I've got / worse problems Click here to listen to it. 15. “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” – Billy Joel As my dad inadvertently made me loyal to Simon & Garfunkel, my mom did the same with Billy Joel. Even though I’ve been living in college dorms for two years now, there’s still something special about living in an apartment with friends in a foreign city for the first time that calls for a small-scale (because, as you know, I was on a plane) jam session to this song. And if you're as dedicated as I am, you can dance to this song on a Tuesday night with your roommates once you arrive at your destination. Favorite Lines: Who needs a house out in Hackensack / is that all you get for your money? Click here to listen to it. 16. “Only the Good Die Young” – Billy Joel Another one of my favorite songs ever, particularly because of the verses rather than the more obvious hook that created such talk in 1977. His calling out of the girl Virginia, whether that’s a nod to her chastity or her actual name, is prodigious. As a Taylor Swift fanatic, that alone wins me over. But the intelligent and clever jabs at religion are unparalleled, and I’ve never heard another song written so gracefully while still completely undermining Catholicism. From a literary perspective, that is laudable. It is difficult to write a rude song in a nice way. (Hello again, Swift.) Favorite Lines: We might be laughing a bit too loud oh / but that never hurt no one (I love that line because it feels a lot like me—it’s currently my Twitter bio.) She never cared for me / but did she ever say a prayer for me? (I have to include this line, too, because it sounds like something I would absolutely say to a person without hesitation. Again, my roommates can attest to this.) Click here to listen to it. 17. “Wild World” – Cat Stevens It would be blasphemous to study abroad without this Cat Stevens classic on loop. I feel about this song the same way I do about “St. Judy’s Comet.” The 1970s were certainly a golden age for the singer-songwriter genre, which happens to be my favorite. (Let's not get into "A Case Of You" right now.) I listen to Cat Stevens whenever I’m sad or homesick or lonely. This song reminds me of my sister/pillar of strength Mel. Favorite Lines: I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there / but just remember there's a lot of bad and beware Click here to listen to it. 18. “Hide Away” – Daya I just found out that Daya is only sixteen years old, which is hard to believe, because 1. I'm twenty, and she's totally killing it (her self-titled EP is out now), and 2. "Hide Away" is a total good-girl anthem that is mature and original. It is empowering but still real, avoiding any type of tamed teenager-bubblegum pop-Disney Channel ingenue image. It's wise and infectious. Favorite Lines: All the money and the time that it takes / to be fly as a mother / got my both eyes out for Mr. Right / guessing I just don't know where to find them / but I hope they all come out tonight / where do the good boys go to hide away, hide away? Click here to listen to it. 19. “Paris” – Magic Man Rachel and I discovered this song last year and fell in love with it instantly. Like I said, I have an irrational emotional attachment to the city of Paris. The lyrics are ambiguous and it isn’t clear whether he’s singing about an ex or a city or both. This is the kind of analysis that English teachers bring into class. I listened to some more Magic Man after hearing this but none of their other songs were quite as excellent as this one. It's a rare find—the kind of song that feels like a gift the first time you listen to it. It becomes a turning point and an unfailing car jam from then on. Favorite Lines: It's just a fantasy taking over like a disease Click here to listen to it. 20. “Ni**as in Paris” – Kanye West & JAY Z The final song on this playlist is arguably the most important. When I flew to France at barely eighteen, it was my first time on a plane alone. (And the last time I had been on a plane at all was several years earlier; I’m pretty sure I played mancala the whole way, if that tells you anything about how old I was.) This time I was a nervous wreck, sitting on the edge of my window seat with my pillow case held open, thinking I was for sure going to puke. The only thing that controlled my panic attack was this song. I put the volume on my iPod up all the way and listened to it on repeat. It was then that it officially became my “plane song.” The next time you’re having a total panic attack, on terra firma or above it, try this technique. It’s worked for me many more times than deep breaths or long walks or yoga. Let me know what your results are. Favorite Lines: Excuse my French but I’m in France / I’m just sayin’ Click here to listen to it.  |