Jim Campilongo may have been influenced by country musicians such as
Speedy West, but
American Hips probably isn't what people who are unfamiliar with
Campilongo's oeuvre would expect from a country record. There isn't someone like pedal steel player
Joe Goldmark (who appeared on some of
Campilongo's previous recordings) around to remind people of
Campilongo's country roots; instead,
Campilongo has teamed up with drummer
Dan Rieser (
Norah Jones,
Bert Seager,
Stephan Crump) and bassist
Tim Luntzel (Arkadia Jazz All-Stars), both of whom have backgrounds in jazz. Furthermore, jazz vocalist
Norah Jones appears on two tracks (the only ones that aren't instrumentals): the
Don Gibson standard "Sweet Dreams" and the
Campilongo original (with lyrics by Kurt Stevenson and Kate Maher) "Stella." Meanwhile,
Campilongo's Telecaster playing alternates between twangy, bluesy, bouncy, soulful, ominous (particularly on the impressive "Cat Under a Car"), and sedate (particularly on the dull cover version of
the Beatles' "Michelle").
Campilongo deserves credit for not having a cookie-cutter sound, and he demonstrates that playing skillfully but simply with both feeling and restraint is better than getting carried away with ostentatious displays of technique. All of the album's tracks were recorded live in the studio, which probably contributes to the spontaneity of the performances; both
Campilongo's knack for writing offbeat melodies and his rhythm section's ace support help make this album a pleasant listening experience. ~ Todd Kristel