It is often that a singer who makes a career out of covering other artists’ songs will be labelled by elitist music critics as possessing no genuine talent. Such is not the case for Cork’s Camille O’ Sullivan who has recently released her second studio album Changeling.
Better known for her live performances, releasing a recorded album is something O’ Sullivan has not done in a decade, therefore Changeling has been incredibly anticipated by fans of the soulful songstress. The collection of songs for the album is interesting. Not following one particular genre, Camille and her band chose to render songs by a range of artists from Radiohead to Nick Cave, and everything in between. Covering Arcade Fire’s Wake Up was a risky choice, given how modern and popular the song is, but it certainly paid off. It begins more delicately than the original and O’ Sullivan’s smokey voice adds a more bluesy feeling to the track. Just like the original, it builds up gradually, however O’ Sullivan’s famously powerful voice makes it even more enthralling.
Another somewhat risky cover is Nine Inch Nails Hurt, more famously covered by Johnny Cash in his final years. It is a song with which a lot of people have emotional ties therefore it must be carried out in a way that can, just as the original and Cash’s cover, pull at the heart-strings. O’Sullivan’s rendition does exactly that. Her voice is tender and shaky and forms every image in the mind of the listener as intended by the original performers, but from the female perspective, it is all the more chilling. Stunning is O’ Sullivan’s version of All the World is Green by Tom Waits; a wonderfully refreshing take on the song, breathing new life into and no doubt making it more enjoyable and easier to listen to. O’ Sullivan’s cover of the song maintains the eerie aspect for which Waits is famous, while adding her own quirkiness. Her voice is so strong during this track that it will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, particularly towards the end when it seems close to straining with sheer emotion.
We cover familiar ground, as we know of her adoration for Nick Cave songs, and this album has a stunning rendition of Ship Song. O’ Sullivan has sung the song live for quite sometime so it is no surprise that it was included on the album. It is also hardly shocking that it was left until last in the track listing, as it is undoubtedly one of, if not the, best song on the entire album. Already a touchingly beautiful song, O’ Sullivan’s voice, almost at a whisper at parts, renders it completely addictive. One listen is not enough to absorb the emotion of the song as her take on the classic, is poignant and genuine. The feeling in O’ Sullivan’s voice would make anyone who had not heard the original believe that she had written the song based on her own romantic experiences.
On a whole, the album is compelling, stunning and delightful in every sense of the word. Her voice is both sensual and emotional and it drips softly and beautifully over each lyric. When we relate to a song, we possess a part of it, it is obvious from the passion instilled in to every note on the album that O’ Sullivan has some personal affiliation with the songs featured on the album, and she most definitely owns them.