Artist:     Ted Russell Kamp

Album:     Walkin’ Shoes

Label:     Self-released

Release Date:     3.15.19 

88

BUY DIGITAL

BUY PHYSICAL

Tying down the transient Ted Russell Kamp is easier said than done. Guided by wanderlust, the bassist for Shooter Jennings continues cultivating a prolific roots-rock solo career with his sunny, easygoing 11^th album Walkin’ Shoes, a travelogue of sorts and a journal of personal evolution from an artist and a band keen on exploring the vintage country gold legacies of Texas and Oklahoma, while firing up that backbeat-powered Bakersfield sound.

Trafficking in timeless, relatable songwriting, colored by a sly sense of humor and common-sense wisdom, Kamp is not ready to settle down just yet. Riding the polished rails of upbeat, locomotive Americana coming ‘round the bend in “Home Away from Home,” Kamp moves on from place to place without a care in the world, and in the lonesome unfurling of “Highway Whisper,” he wishes for “… just a horizon and a touch of a hobo’s lullaby” with unfiltered intimacy. And when the truck-driving country horsepower of “Paid by the Mile” gathers speed, it feels as if a smiling Jerry Reed is at the wheel.

A lazy, dark tide of country-blues groove and softened stomp rolls through “Tail Light Shine,” before jumpy keyboard blips and silvery guitar sparks give “Get Off the Grid” an infectious, colorful buoyancy and Kamp lets go of modern anxiety to embrace a simpler existence. Unwilling to give up all of his worldly possessions, Kamp feels a kinship with “This Old Guitar,” a swooning, twangy ballad that inspires him to sing, “It’s like there’s a part of me made of wood and steel.” He has a way with slow, drown-out songs, as well as light country-rock swing, with the pull of “Written in Stone” especially hard to ignore.

Some of Joe Walsh’s roguish charm rubs off on Kamp in the distortion-fried, classic-rock drawl of “We Don’t Have to Be Alone,” but it’s the breezy wistfulness of “Heart Under Pressure,” with its sandy textures, that reveals a surprisingly sophisticated pop craftsmanship. The soles of Walkin’ Shoes are built so they won’t wear out quickly.

—Peter Lindblad