Steph Cameron - Daybreak Over Jackson Street
by Stephen Simkin
published: 9 / 2 / 2018

Label:
At the Helm Records
Format: CD
intro
Intimate and haunting album from Saskatoon-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Steph Cameron
'Daybreak Over Jackson Street' is a charming, woody, acoustic gem of an album from Saskatoon-based Steph Cameron. Although her accent occasionally lets slip her Canadian heritage, the songs themselves sound as if they could have been written and played in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village in the early 1960s. Cameron’s dextrous fingerpicking style is on show throughout, and in fact precious little additional instrumentation embellishes the collection of eleven songs. The bluesy tones of ‘On My Mind’, however, changes up the predominantly folky major keys and adds some harmonica – although the whole album sounds so wholesome it’s hard to take a line like "I’ve got cocaine on my mind all the time" seriously. The songs were recorded simply and all analogue, and producer Joe Dunphy is very adept at creating an intimate, live atmosphere – every song sounds like it was recorded in a single take. This, along with the simplicity of the arrangements, gives the listener the impression of sitting in a small room with Steph Cameron as she plays. Highlights include the sombre story ‘Richard’, which is a little reminiscent of the rueful mood of Michelle Shocked’s ‘Anchorage’, and the lovely ‘Winterwood’. ‘California’ paints a striking picture of an icebound landscape juxtaposed with the fantasy of a sun-bathed West Coast beach, and the closing ‘Peace is Hard to Find’ resolves the album on a sombre, haunting note.
Track Listing:-
1 Daybreak over Jackson Street2 Young and Living Free
3 That's What Love Is
4 On My Mind
5 Richard
6 Winterwood
7 Little Blue Bird
8 You Ought to Know by Now
9 California
10 Sing for Me
11 Peace Is Hard to Find
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/stephcameronmusic/https://twitter.com/scameronmusic
most viewed articles
current edition
Spear Of Destiny - InterviewRobert Forster - Interview
Fiona Hutchings - Interview
When Rivers Meet - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Carl Ewens - David Bowie 1964 to 1982 On Track: Every Album, Every Song
Brian Wilson - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Chris Wade - Interview
Shrag - Huw Stephens Session 08.12.10 and Marc Riley Session 21.03.12
Pistol Daisys - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Credits - ARC, Liverpool, 17/5.2025
most viewed reviews
current edition
Peter Doolan - I Am a Tree Rooted to the Spot and a Snake Moves Around Me,in a CircleGarbage - Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
Vinny Peculiar - Things Too Long Left Unsaid
Little Simz - Lotus
John McKay - Sixes and #Sevens
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
HAIM - I Quit
Morcheeba - Escape The Chaos
Vultures - Liz Kershaw Session 16.06.88
Billy Nomates - Metalhorse
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart