Being a woman in the music industry is tough. Being a woman in the country music genre is even tougher. You just need to look at the country charts to see that aside from Carrie Underwood there are very few other female artists on there. Rising star Camaron Marvel Ochs aka Cam is slowly working her way up the charts thanks to the huge success of her single Burning House. Her third single release, and second from her major label debut Untamed, the track has peaked at number 4 on the US Hot Country Chart. Earlier this year Cam released EP Welcome to Cam Country and now she’s unleashed her full-length album Untamed.
After its recent Grammy nomination, Burning House is performing stronger than ever and it’s the perfect introduction to Untamed. The song is a beautiful acoustic-led ballad that takes traditional country sensibilities and marries them with crossover appeal. It’s the only song on Untamed that’s so understated but it serves to draw you into what is actually an album full of variety. Cam showcases all different sides of her self on Untamed whether it be her feisty side (Country Ain’t Never Been Pretty) or her stream of regrets after too much alcohol (Hungover On Heartache).
The set opens with title track Untamed, a song driven by hand-claps and banjo riffs. It’s sure to strike the right chord with country music traditionalists and Cam easily straddles the traditional and modern country soundscapes throughout the record. Midtempo ballad Mayday features one of Cam’s best vocals on the record as she signals to a lover that she wants to call time on their relationship but can’t find the words to do it.
Elsewhere on the record Cam gets sentimental on Cold in California, embraces uptempo rhythms for the spunky My Mistake, and sets out her career mission statement on the passionate Want It All. The album highlight comes on closer Village, which takes on a similar vein to Burning House delivering an emotive heartfelt lyric about her sister.
Untamed positions Cam as one of country music’s brightest new stars. The album is confident, emotive and passionate, and you can hear Cam’s natural talent shine through on every song. Burning House may be the best track on here but the rest of the album will grow on you if you give it the time it deserves. Each song needs to be unpacked for you to get the most of it and once you take the time, you’ll release how special this record really is.
