David Hunt Cameron is what used to be called a Renaissance Man: he’s a multi-instrumentalist, composer, solo artist, band leader and educator with alumni spread across the world. Currently, he’s a full time music teacher at the Gateway School in Santa Cruz. Early this year he released his second solo album titled 9th Planet. These 12 songs encompass folky acoustic, rock, funk and psychedelic styles.
Cameron hasn’t listed any player credits, but given that he fronts a large performing band called Fat Grass Corduroy, I’m sure some of his sidemen appear in these tunes. It’s a full-sounding band with background singers, keyboards, strings, horns and drums. Cameron himself sings lead and plays acoustic and electric guitar. The album was recorded at Wind River Studios in Santa Cruz. The opening tune “Pluto” sets us up for Cameron’s unique sensibility, as this song celebrates “the love of our smallest planet that was taken away from us when designated as a planetoid.” Anyone who was alive when this happened can relate! After a spacey, Telstar-like fade in, Cameron’s lush guitars and CSN-like harmonies weave a sweet and hummable ode to the late planet. “Don’t let them take my friends away… a circle of something that’s so far away… I got lost on Pluto searching for you tonight.” The fretless-sounding bass provides fine melodic counterpoint to Cameron’s strumming and vocals, as does the later addition of a lush string section. “Funk Isn’t Fast” is a chance for Cameron the Educator to step forward, instructing the rhythm section (literally, during a rap performance) that true funk should be “kept on the down low.” It’s a fun tune, though it’s always a little quirky when older white guys try to “get down.” There’s Ohio Players-style keys and horns, and the lead guitar break is especially tasty. “Coconut Tree” slows things down for a gentle acoustic tribute to the victims of the 2011 Tsunami in Japan and South East Asia, where Cameron was living at the time. Told from the view of a coconut tree, Cameron’s direct experience translates into a heartbreaking reverie with a beautiful rising chorus. Cameron then moves into doo wop/R&B territory with the swampy “So Much Going On” which he wants you to imagine Tom Jones is singing, though I couldn’t stop hearing Elton John. “Edward Craven Walker” - which amusingly sounds like a made-up name - is an ode to the late creator of the Lava Lamp and one of the first nudists in the UK. It’s a great idea for a song, with very funny lyrics and tons of respect: “Set up in the center of every hippie shrine / We drift away to contemplate a hero’s grand design / We just sat and stared, now it’s time to kneel and pray.” More lush strings fill out the tune. “Strange Artist” is a jazzy romp about the weird illustrators in coffee shops who might actually be geniuses, with Cameron decrying his lack of ability in the visual arts. I have a feeling this song resonates more in arty Santa Cruz, as Hollywood has mostly guys with laptops. “Secret Messages” is an achingly sweet but witty ode to Cameron’s fiancé, featuring delicately picked guitars, flute, piano and a horn solo. “Get Wet” adds reggae to Cameron’s tool kit for an amiable Jimmy Buffett-like excursion. “Right Hand Man” features jangly Byrds-like guitars for an upbeat pop rock gem with a bit of Allman Brothers flavor to the lead guitar and vocals. For the folky conclusion, Cameron explains: “I lived in Vietnam for several years, and I missed home so so much - especially the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada Range.” It’s a yearning, wistful tune and the perfect end to this collection. Cameron is obviously a stupendously talented singer/songwriter and this set more than delivers on his promise.
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