Customer Reviews

A Camp

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

anyone who remembers the cardigans fondly or the haunting ballad 'the bluest eyes of texas' as performed by chloe sevigny in the film boys don't cry will definately want to check this cd out. even though i didn't pay the import price for my copy, i can almost understand why someone would shell out nearly thirty bucks for this virtually unknown gem. nina perssons is the underrated & ultimately talented voclaist from the band the cardigans. many of us remember the cardigans for their hit back in the late nineties called lovefool. to say that nina's solo work resembles anything quite like lovefool would be ludicrous as a camp is far more diverse & complex than any music i remember hearing from the cardigans. in fact, i'm almost tempted to order or listen to some of their older work now after hearing her fabulous work on a camp. nina perssons has a mellow, sweet voice which will appeal to many different types of music fans out there ranging from the young pop acts of today like michelle branch to lesser known women like a lori carson or karen paris from the innocence mission. persson's voice is as pure & innocent as one could ever hope on nearly every track here from the opening to the very end. this album may take a few listens for most people not familiar wioth persson's style or solo work but i guarantee you'll be hooked in literally no time. there are so many tracks to recommend that i hardly know where to start. there you have it! don't look for any particular favorites to try out but rather enjoy the album in it's entirety. you'll be glad you made the choice to purchase this album after you hear how amazing it truly is for yourself. although a camp is a delicate confection for an album, perssons draws upon only the genres or musicians/ writers to make her material stand out above the rest. nina encorporates jazz, pyschedelic undertones, & country western just to name a few. even the pickiest music lovers are bound to find something they like on this cd. give it a whirl today!!

Alight, i'll be the bad guy here. On paper, it looks like sheer genius- singer from the Cardigans singing country-ish songs with Sparklehorse lead producing. You'd expect weird squelchy songs with beautiful vocals, and theoretically, it should be perfect. However, it's not quite the case. Some of the songs in themselves are nearly flawless, and absolutely wonderful with excellent muscianship. But other don't. And the album jumps from mood to mood without much consistency, and just when you're floating off the tail end of a ballad, you get kicked in the teeth with an over the top rocking number. I love bands that do this-- but somehow, it doesn't totally work.

After a few listens, you get the fealing that Mark doesn't exactly know how to shape other people's songs. EVERY single song has leads, or solos, or just noises that really don't need to be there and really don't help the songs. In the context of Spaklehorse, it makes the band. But it doesn't always work here.

Even though i can't pinpoint my disappointment exactly, i keep coming back to this record; but i think it's because i really, really want it to be better than it actually is. The songs are great; some are amazing, even. But the album, as a whole piece is art, is less impressive than the songs themselves.

Nina Persson's "debut solo album" (as described on the promo sticker) began life in Sweden in 1998, the same year as the Cardigans' Gran Turismo. It was completed in America throughout 2000 with producer Mark Linkous from the excellent Sparklehorse, during time off from the Cardigans, which had clearly taken on a life of its own, not entirely of her choosing.
A Camp was born in 1997 after a meeting with Niclas Frisk, who co-wrote most of the songs and plays on several of them. Boyfriend Nathan Larson (from Shudder To Think) also plays on all but one of the tracks and co-wrote the opening song. Frequent Flyer sets the mood of the album as it opens with eerie samples, theremin sounds, thuddy drums and Nina's gorgeously bittersweet vocals over an engaging melody. In fact the tunes retain a high standard throughout and the quirky production (though mainstream by Sparklehorse standards) is never less than complementary and interesting. Angel Of Sadness is a stand-out song although I Can Buy You made a first class single.
Although the album consists mostly of original material, a few stray covers shoe-horn their way in - the Replacements' Rock 'n' Roll Ghost; bizarrely, Restless Heart's old US hit The Bluest Eyes In Texas; and Walking The Cow, one of the best known songs of cult singer Daniel Johnston, whose 2003 album Fear Yourself was also produced by Mark Linkous.
A Camp manages the delicate trick of being unmistakably, instantly belonging to Nina Persson whilst at the same time being quite distinct from the Cardigans. May her future projects be as successful

I've been a fan of the Cardigans ever since their first CD release in USA and when i've heard that some band members were doing solo I was very anxious to hear them. I think that Nina's CD is art in its purest form. Each song is carefully put together like a collage to form a trully unique piece. I found my self experiencing different moods as I listened to each of the songs. Some other very good songs were actually not released on this cd. Songs such as "Charlie Charle", "My Misery is my Mystery", and "What the hell are you crying for?" but dont worry you can still hear these songs. For those of you who don't know Nina has a special website for her CD its : http://www.acamp.cjb.net/. There she has an option of listening the unreleased songs. I hope this review has helped you in some way.

This album took me a while to get into (about a year), on the first listen i thought some songs were gut wrenchingly boring or just odd. I usually give CDs a few listen before i actually dismiss them, but i guess i was busy at the time and i tossed this one aside. one day i decided to play it while studying and half way in, i just had to completely stop what i was doing; i was utterly mesmerized by how awesome the album was.

I started to really pay attention to the songs and i realized that the arrangements were just absolute genius. Like most music, it's the ones that are an 'acquired taste' that can always withstand the test of time. This is truly a gem, a must own for any serious music fan. Who knew that with some clever collaborations, Ms Persson could crank something like this out? she joined the Cardigans on a whim and is mainly the lyricist. She is definitely something else.

Standout tracks: Frequent Flyer, I Can Buy You, The Same Old Song, Elephant.

I got this CD in Stockholm a week after it was released, and have been listening to A CAMP nearly every day. Those melodies are beautiful and somewhat touching, and Nina Persson's voice is so very musical.

A Camp is actually someone very familiar- its Nina Persson from the Cardigans. Her solo album is quite different from the Cardigans' past albums. The first single, I Could Buy You, is simple, melodic, and strangely addictive. This CD is definitly a good buy. Oh- and it has some great artwork too!
There are soooo many good songs on the album. My favourites are I Could Buy You, Leftovers, Walking the Cow, Algebra, and Rock and Roll Ghost. Every single song is wonderful! Buy it if you can!

I actually bought this as a gift to my wife, but since then I've become completely absorbed with this CD. The songs are great, there are 14 songs and no weak ones, which is very rare. And her voice is so beautiful, musical, touching... This really strikes some inner chord in me! I definetely recommend it!!!

IT'S A VERY NICE ALBUM IN THE SEASON,LISTEN IT WHEN YOU'RE FREE.
I LIKE THE SONG "the bluest eyes in Texas" VERY MUCH,AND LOVE NINA AND THE CARDIGANS.

Forget about Ok Computer (sorry Radiohead) or Smells Like Ten Spirit, to name but a couple; if you have to own just one album, make sure its this one. IMO, there is no better singer than Nina Persson. Her voice is simply breathtaking ! The whole album is crammed with amazing songs. Not ok or good. There is something in this for everyone. Pop, rock, country, even a strange, dark, psychedelic song called "The Oddness of the Lord" wich sounds similar to "Do You Believe" from Gran Turismo (only better). Actually there are a couple of songs I didn't think were amazing: "Silent Night" is pretty boring and so is "Rock 'N'Roll Ghost" to a lesser degree. Also "Hard as a Stone" sounds a bit generic. The last two mentioned are still pretty good and I never skip "Hard as a Stone".

Go buy this album ! You HAVE to have this !