~The Heartfelt Howl, The Whisper of Love~
Nerissa Campbell sings songs of moodiness and of melancholy - stories of desire and the sorrows of losing loved things, the weight of depression and the lightness of being. Her music - its roots in jazz, also weaves its way through somber pop-ballads, bluesy folk songs, moody instrumentals and a lyricism full of thought and space. It is a fine blend of styles dipped in a smoky beer batter of late night living. There's an easy, swingin' film noir feeling that evokes dark bars and mystery dames and her voice is wistful and melancholy, like Billie Holiday singing a Nick Cave song. The blues is here, too, but it plays hide and seek with space and sound, creating a depth of feeling beyond the obvious. Her songs roil in the smoke of forgotten bars and express a love of many styles and thoughts.
Ms. Campbell has developed a unique and deeply personal writing and performing voice. There is a sincere, raw and open emotional quality to her songs. Her voice shifts in mood and expressiveness, becoming rough and syrupy, plaintive, or smooth and sexy. She delivers a song with the laid-back assurance and attitude of a young Peggy Lee.
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Campbell holds a Certificate of Music and an Associate Degree of Performing Arts (Jazz) from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where she moved to in 2001. She has performed in many an underground music joint, and graced stages the world over, but can mostly be found singing at the comfy and loving musical home of the 55 Bar in the West Village. Unless of course, she is on tour!
Her two albums to date, Paint Me Orange (2003) and Musings of a Telescopic Tree (2009) are like collections of short stories with different characters and feels, and when listened to as a whole are brought together as one. They were released under her own label, Crooked Mouth Music.
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