Any perceptive imbalance of audience awareness gets swept away in the presence of a duo creating a significant spark. The first sign sending many in the direction of Campbell / Jensen is Ashley Campbell, a musician adept at preserving family heritage, while cutting an independent path. Twists and turns have been played out as much in the UK music scene as back home in the States with a firm foothold being sought especially since 2015 when high profile individual appearances emanated. The current situ sees two become one as the partnership with fellow American musician Thor Jensen taps into an artistry bent on blending innate and evolving talent.
Hot on the heels of releasing their debut record, Campbell / Jensen traded the palatial surroundings of Birmingham Town Hall for the quaint intimacy of the Kitchen Garden. Opening for the iconic Jimmy Webb in 2022 is one thing, baring the raw bones of your musical panache to fifty pairs of attentive ears literally feet away requires a stern mettle. Everything Ashley Campbell and Thor Jensen did on their Kitchen debut was on the mark. Display the talent you own, play the whole record that just came out and leave a mark that imprints the essence of your music.
Thor Jensen hails from New York and is an exceptionally talented guitar player with a diverse background from rock to jazz. Words on pages click the ignition, but the purring engine is savouring the effect close up. Whatever profile he had in the UK is set to multiply now that shows in the Campbell / Jensen format are growing and flourishing. The chemistry with Campbell's trademark banjo playing simmers and stirs alongside a compact vocal alliance plus songwriting skills nailing down a presence.
The show tentatively began by mirroring the new album with 'P&P' and 'At Long Last' the opening tracks of TURTLE COTTAGE. You had a sense of these songs being in the 'bedding-in' stage. The set suddenly sprang into life when deviating from the record by playing an older Campbell song 'La Bete'. Jensen joked he was playing a cover, although that part of the show was soon to come.
Slowly the songs from the new record started to take hold. 'A Song By Vampires, For Vampires' upped the content with real highs coming after the break with 'Goodbye Cowboy' getting things re-underway to be soon joined by the growing 'Perfectly Alright' and the already flowering 'Tank and Babe'.
When you are blessed with extraordinary stringed talents, why not shine on the instrumental? Campbell / Jensen did that on 'Edge of the World' and 'Exit Zero', both from the new record, before ending the show in a similar vein with another tune. Campbell occasionally switched her pair of banjos for an acoustic guitar. With an array of instruments in play, tuning was the order of the day. Nothing less expected.
The covers given the Campbell / Jensen treatment were an interesting bunch. Inevitably, country, a trait lingering in the distance, had a nod in a version of Willie Nelson's 'Bloody Mary Morning', while closer to home saw 'Careless Weed' by Jimmy Webb played, likely in honour of supporting the great man last year. A new take on 'Eleanor Rigby' showed how fine strings can reboot a song. The pair seemed really at home dipping into the jazz blues standard 'Trouble in Mind'. Although the country and Americana genes of Campbell's vocals and banjo playing filter in, the overarching sound comes from the infusion of the jazz-blues playing creating a unique style that works exceedingly well.
There has been a lengthy break since seeing Ashley Campbell play live in three different settings between 2016 and 2018. The re-incarnation circling in 2023 is a refreshed culturally uplifting operation that appeals to her crafted approach. Whatever brought Thor Jensen and Ashley Campbell together, and they have been active since 2021, is a slice of fortune and fate. Stretching your repertoire can reap rewards and all was laid bare in the Kitchen Garden. The judgement appeared kind and the stage is set for this collaboration to court fans old and new.
