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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
bluest eyes of texas..., March 24, 2004
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!!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good songs, but..., September 2, 2005
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nina Persson and friends, January 2, 2005
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
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