In 1994, Warner/Reprise decided to shelve Nashville singer/songwriter Shawn Camp’s second album. Sixteen years later, the project has been rescued from the vaults, making available some exceptionally smart and tuneful country music. 1994 confirms the promise Camp showed on his self-titled debut album and makes clear that his later success as tunesmith for other artists was no fluke. Produced by Emery Gordy, Jr., there’s plenty of keening pedal steel and rootsy fiddle here, along with nods to bluegrass and Bakersfield-style honky-tonk. Camp’s clear-toned vocals are applied to songs mixing inconsolable heartache (“My Frame of Mind,” “Since You Ain’t Home”) with a jaunty attitude towards romantic loss (“Near Mrs.,” “Little Bitty Crack In Her Heart”). At times — especially on “Clear as a Bell” and “The Grandpa That I Know” – his work displays the masterful craftsmanship of a Tom T. Hall. “Movin’ On Up to a Double Wide” is a wry working-class vignette, while “Worn Through Stone” (featuring vocals by the legendary Bill Monroe) is classic country balladry.