Before May of this year, the music of British Columbia born, and Nashville based roots rocker Sadie Campbell was completely unfamiliar to me. Indeed, it would be time spent on a regular workday commute here in central PA that changed that narrative, thanks to the perfectly timed delivery from one of my favorite SiriusXM radio channels that brought Sadie’s music to my attention.
It would be “Second Chance,” Sadie’s single release from April (and first taste of music from this new album project) that quickly earned my undivided attention. What a great song, but just who was this artist filling my car with some powerful and potent vocals? A quick glance at the radio display flashed up the name Sadie Campbell – one quickly locked away in my mind to recall once I was no longer driving in busy traffic and could spend time surfing the internet once back home.
Saying that I was impressed with this first taste of Sadie’s music is an understatement! “Second Chance” very quickly got under my skin (it remains a contender for my GDW Single of the Year), and upon discovering the existence of an accompanying music video, would be shared via our weekly social media video series. And in the interest of full disclosure, the first few lines I drafted to lead into that post appeared as they sprung to mind – no filters, no tweaks, just my absolute first impressions: ‘With a heart-stirring, raspy vocal delivery, Sadie immediately draws comparisons to powerhouses such as Bonnie Tyler and Stevie Nicks, and once she hits the chorus, will leave you gasping for breath as her voice penetrates deep into your soul.’ Would I go back and re-write those words if given the chance? Probably not!
Steadily teasing us with one new song per month (on average) across streaming platforms between April and now, another office day commute would find Sadie’s July single, “Leave It All Behind,” bursting through my speakers to accompany the journey. Another solid tune, this single would be included in the GDW August edition of our Video Vault feature – to which I added: ‘brings out an onslaught of goosebumps with her stirring vocal delivery and ear for a good tune.’ As the closing track on Sadie’s long-awaited debut album, “Metamorphosis” – officially released today – for the artist, this tune serves as a reminder that life is a lesson that requires constant learning and relearning. There is power in letting go of old energies, relationships, and even the old you.
Having worked previously with producers Stuart Cameron and Peter Fusco on her 2021 EP, “The Darkroom,” Sadie turned to her two friends once more, finally meeting in-person (pandemic restrictions the first time around) to lay down tracks at the iconic Bathouse studio on the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Sadie approached this project with two core principles in mind – that the album was to explore a diverse range of emotions (sadness, discovery, and a dance-to-this kind of joy), and would span a variety of genres (country, rock, and soul). “I wanted this record to have songs about these totally polar opposite topics, because that’s life,” she shares. “Songs about anxiety and hopelessness can live on the same record as love songs and hopeful songs.”
With some simple guitar strums and drum taps to open the album’s lead track, “What Love Can Do,” Sadie keeps the initial subject matter close to her chest, muted enough to allow her vocals to arrive, and then intensified quickly with some simultaneous upbeat instrumentation. “You bet it all on a chance you might lose / Set a fire, you walk right on through / Let it burn ‘cause you don’t wanna move / That’s what love can do.” Raising and lowering this listener’s heart rate with her vocal highs and lows, a blistering (and retro-vintage) electric guitar solo, the off-count vocal interlude that takes us into the bridge, followed by another explosive musical blast, Sadie absorbs you fully into her world before breaking into a sweat. One song in, and I’m hooked. Only ten more to go – can I make it before my heart rate reaches a critical stage?
The moving keystrokes that commence “Anxiety Gets Me” offers that alternative focal point. Delivered as a power-pop balled, we once again find an artist gifted with an incredible vocal range as the song progresses through yet more highs and lows. “I can get anxious / I can get free / I can get cut right down and get back on my feet.” Oh, and the faux ending with a final vocal refrain, where Sadie’s raspy vocals dominate once more – here come the goosebumps – dang, maybe I should get the doctor’s office on standby after all… Based on my elevated pulse, I may not make it through all eleven cuts here today.
Releasing “Saved” as a single just last month, this powerful, deeply self-reflective tune written about religious deconstruction is another of the album’s standout tracks. “Many years of my life were spent in the church as a ‘good Christian’ girl that didn’t ask questions or speak up,” Sadie recalls. “I am scared to open this can of worms, so to speak, but I chose to put this song on the record for the people out there that also have questioned their faith, questioned the church, been wronged by the church, had to reprogram their minds and hearts after leaving. It’s for them. For us.”
For Sadie, “Getting Older” speaks to the discrimination and judgment women face not only in the music business, but in everyday life: “So count the rings on the trees / And count the wrinkles on me / I’m so damn proud to be / Getting older.” Just selecting these few tracks find us touching on the themes of love, loss, moving on, starting over, and rebirth – which all interconnect to the overarching core of the album – metamorphosis. “It’ll crack you to the core / When you know you’re meant for more / Like a bell that’s ringing louder all the time,” Sadie sings – which, as nicely summarized by her press release, offers an allusion to the all-too-true fact that transformation is never easy, and unhappiness will only grow like the sound of a bell reverberating inside.
“I saw a quote when starting to write this album that said: ‘the thing you are most scared to write about, write that’,” Sadie adds in closing. “It’s about growth, really. To me, metamorphosis means transformation, and this record is an expression of all the things I’ve grown through in my life thus far.” And as Sadie’s words are slowly absorbed, I recall that first encounter with “Second Chance” back in the spring, and now the lyrics now resonate much more with a deeper understanding of Sadie’s creative vision. “Memories keep me up at night / And if I could go back / There are pieces I would have rearranged / But I got off track / I used to run so fast after broken people / I was trying to save / And it took me this long to learn / That some will never change.”
“Metamorphosis” is available today across all streaming platforms, and via Sadie Campbell’s bandcamp page: https://sadiecampbellmusic.bandcamp.com/music
Photo Credit: Sara Miller
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
