The Swing Sessions

Album Review

Perhaps Australia's answer to Michael Bublé, David Campbell made a name for himself quickly with Swing Sessions, an ode to the showmen of yesteryear. Campbell does his best to mimic his heroes here, from the opening Dean Martin piece to Frank Sinatra's "Call Me Irresponsible," to a couple of Bobby Darin numbers worked in for good measure. Where Bublé will (usually) make a song somewhat his own with a different phrasing or delivery, though, Campbell seems to be trying for an exact replica instead. There's soul and pathos in his delivery, but it's not David Campbell's soul and pathos so much as Dean Martin's pathos and Sinatra's soul. In "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" however, midway into the album, Campbell starts to break through a bit, adding a slightly younger vibe and a slightly freer format. "Beyond the Sea" gets a similar treatment, with just a little looseness that wasn't in the Darin original. Despite any overt mimicry, the album comes off well. A punchy big band does an outstanding job of resurrecting the classics, replete with the touches of accentuation that gave some of the classic recordings their personalities. Campbell's on-again-off-again originality may not provide all listeners with enough reason on its own to give him a shot over the original recordings, but when he does break free, there's something inherently likable about his form, not unlike Bublé's fast-growing star power.