While
Kate Campbell's previous records evoked the tough realities and poetic epiphanies of contemporary southern life with uncommon accuracy, on
Visions of Plenty she steps back to recall her own coming of age during the civil rights movement. Although themes of race and religion wind through the album's 11 songs,
Campbell is neither heavy-handed nor preachy as she addresses topics ranging from school integration to the environment; songs like "Deep Tang" and "Crazy in Alabama" instead document the transformations and turbulence of the era with novelistic flair.