Campbell, Neil: The Turnaround

Liverpool’s Neil Campbell returns with his trusty acoustic guitar in hand and a selection of electric six strings, basses, keyboards and - in his own words - ‘other trusty instruments’ to regale us with. The results are what is a thematic follow up to 2021’s The Great Escape, where instrumental music is displayed in numerous guises. Here, the Morricone inspired spaghetti western of “The Wild Frontier� glides smoothly through jazzier sleights of hand and the flugelhorn infused title track, “The Turnaround�. Tantalisingly, “On The Other Hand� feels commercial and lost in time, the deceptively latin rhythms somehow melding with a guitar tone that Knopfler would have been proud to call his own back when his straits were dire.

The compositions are kept tight and concise, allowing the moods and tones to breathe naturally without overcrowding each other - an eclectic selection of music constantly surprising while still somehow feeling cohesive. The aspects that bind this all together, as expected, are the guitar mastery on show, the strength of the writing and the excellent understated sound that brings what could have been disparate ideas and crafts them into a flowing narration. On this album expect the scenery to seamlessly blend the frantic control of “Tributaries� with the languid lustre of “No Leaves Left�.

With contributions along the way from Martin Smith - it’s he who provides the aforementioned flugelhorn - Marty Snape on additional guitars, electronics and percussive programming, Roger Gardiner on Overwater 8 string bass and producer Jon Lawton through additional electronics and percussive programming, this really is a hugely engaging experience. Neil Campbell has - once again - served up another captivating and at times breathtaking journey through musical shapes and sounds.

Track Listing
1. The Wild Frontier

2. On The Other Hand

3. The Turnaround

4. Tarantella

5. Pollen

6. Beach Scene

7. One Evening In Palermo

8. Beltane

9. Roger Over And Out

10. Polonaise

11. Tributaries

12. No Leaves Left

13. Second Hand

Added: June 24th 2025
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Neil Campbell @ bandcamp
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Language: english

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