Callum

Callum may live in locally now but he grew up in Glasgow and then emigrated to Canada before settling on our southern shores. All this moving around made it difficult to keep a band together so he decided to go down the solo artist route.

I have to admit that I wasn't holding out much hope for Callum's cd as a good chunk of the solo efforts that come into us at BBC Southampton are vocalists who seem to have forgotten to write good songs or think that a dodgy keyboard is all they need to show off their voice.

So I was pleasantly surprised and incredibly relieved when the speakers blasted out the strong opening track “Play The Fool” and it revealed that Callum has a full and experienced band of musicians backing him. He's also taken the time to produce the music properly. He obviously knows what he's doing.

The song boasts Oasis-style arrangements and long, lingering guitar solos which show that Callum

He's also a bit of a dab hand at songwriting. The cd is crammed full of diverse songs - each one with a slightly different feel but with a distinctly alternative streak running through them. His songs are also full of little quirky, unexpected sections to break up the tunes and keep you interested.

“Wake Up” is another very strong track which uses Beck-like layered vocals and begins with a delicate acoustic guitar before launching into a rocked up chorus with

“This Is My World”, on the other hand is an acoustic ballad. Rather than being slushy or stomach-churningly cheesy it's a dark and atmospheric track with some moody, reverbed guitar. Callum sensibly keeps the song short to prevent it from becoming too gloomy.

The highlight of the 11 track cd for me is “It's All I Can Do”. The edgy track uses rocked-up acoustic guitars as well as underlying distorted electrics to power out a riff which is reminiscent of Radiohead's Just.

As one of the more up-tempo songs on the album, it really does stand out. The song includes a quirky, effect-laden guitar solo and Callum spitting lyrics help to carry the track along. If any of his songs are going to stick in your head, it's this one.

The album finishes with the epic piano-led ballad “Did I Let You Down”. The sorrowful tune perhaps shows his singer/songwriter skills off best and has a touch of Elton John's style about it.

Having influences like Bowie and The Beatles it's hardly surprising that Callum tries to merge diverse styles into his music. Each song has something different to offer and this makes the whole cd very easy to listen to.

Callum's ear for a good melody is undeniable and this cd is a great showcase of his talent. I for one hope to hear more from Callum very soon. - BBC Hampshire

On Sunday, 24th April 2005, I went to see Callum performing ' Live' at the Royal Oak, in Winchester, Hants, and also caught up with him for a little chat. Having met Callum in person, I have to say he has to be one of the most polite guys you could ever meet. His mood was extremely up beat and he really couldn't hide his excitement as he listened to songs from his new album Along the Way being played and reviewed by BBC Radio.

Whilst sipping a cool beer, he was keen to explain that he doesn't want to be a " Rock Star", but just wants to be able to perform, and play live, which is his dream job and his passion. Indeed, once the set started I was speechless at how passionately Callum sings. When you hear him live the words just flow from the heart, and I noticed the way the whole audience hung on to his every word, that they felt that too.

This was the first time I had heard any of these songs performed live and just thinking about these songs gets my toes tapping, and I can still hear Callum singing. It's obvious that Callum puts a lot of thought into which songs he performs, and, it must be said, Callum delivers every song with a passion and unique clarity and gives every song the stamp of Callum.

First up, was Play The Fool, followed by Time To Change, On the Ground and Here Wth You to name just a few of the tracks, which were all performed with total perfection and polished to a "T."

After a brief interval, and a chance to grab Callum for a few more words , he was back on stage to belt out one of his newest numbers Impossible, which I have to say, has hit written all over it, the heart wrenchimg ballad Did I let You Down” and last but not least came Told You Twice to finish.

Leaving the stage, several American fans, who were seeing Callum ' Live' for the second time, immediately jumped up to purchase their copies of Along The Way and get autographs and photos.

It was obvious that everyone had a fantastic night, including Callum, and as he's said himself " And that's what it's all about, isn't it?"

Belinda Moffat, www.niceolgy.co.uk - Nicelology