GLEN Campbell wasn't sure what venue he was in, though he had been told a couple of times. He couldn't remember the name of his new guitarist when he came to introduce the band, and didn't always know which song he was about to play. But the moment h
e opened his mouth to sing, all confusion vanished and he settled effortlessly into what he does best – interpreting great songs beautifully and distinctively.
Although his bewilderment was endearing, it was not particularly comfortable seeing Campbell fumble with the non-musical aspects of the gig or watching his band, including daughter Debby, gently babysit their frontman. The poignant irony is that at the very moment that Campbell has started to wander, he has released an album of hip cover versions on which he sounds utterly refreshed.
Every track made it into the set, from the humble romance of U2's All I Want Is You to organically countrified takes on Travis's Sing, Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) and Foo Fighters' Times Like These and intuitive versions of Tom Petty and Jackson Browne songs.
All sat comfortably with the staple features of a Campbell set – the Everly Brothers' duets with Debby, a Hank Williams interlude, the relish he took in Conway Twitty's wonderfully hammy It's Only Make Believe and those deathless Jimmy Webb numbers, Wichita Lineman and By the Time I Get to Phoenix.
Campbell's voice was limber throughout, but perhaps other aspects of his fitness to tour should be considered in future.
The full article contains 260 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
