North Carolina native Kameron Marlowe first rose to fame after his YouTube videos were spotted by a talent recruiter for The Voice. He made it to the Top 24 on the show before moving to Nashville to start his songwriting career, and released his debut single ‘Giving You Up' in 2019. Now, after several successful tours – and a trip to the UK last year for C2C – he's released his sophomore album ‘Keepin' The Lights On', the follow-up to 2020's ‘We Were Cowboys'.
The 16-track project opens with ‘911', a rocky number full of revved-up guitars and big crashing drums. It really highlights the depth and drawl in Marlowe's vocals and there's a playful, flirtatious energy about the song that instantly wins you over. He shows off his impressive vocal belt right at the end – the first of many times on the record – and the whole thing absolutely wins you over from the off.
That rock influence is something which comes through very strongly on this record, whether that's the 80s touches on the sultry ‘Nothin' Slowin' Us Down' (with some almost Chris Stapleton-esque vocals from Marlowe), ‘I Can Run' – which feels like driving down an open road through a California desert at sunset as Marlowe sings about ‘running out of reasons to keep running like a bat out of hell' – or the stomping small-town tribute ‘Lock Me Up' with its reference to Blake Shelton's ‘Old Red'. That said, there's also plenty of space for a more traditional approach, such as ‘On My Way Out', a mellow, lilting tune with a soaring chorus and rich vocals from Marlowe as he pays tribute to the small things in life, and the wistful ‘High Hopes' with its rollicking barroom singalong feel. That versatility is a real strength and he handles the transitions so well throughout this album. Elsewhere, he shows off his romantic side with tracks like the sweet and affectionate ‘Leaning On You' and ‘Quit You', which is as smooth and warm as Tennessee whiskey and sure to have plenty of sway-along moments in his live shows, whilst his collaboration with Ella Langley, ‘Strangers', features sharp drums and some impressive vocal runs and harmonies from them both.
For me many of the strongest songs on the record are where Marlowe attempts something a little different. ‘Never Really Know' is an early highlight in this regard. A sparse, twangy number of vivid character portraits of folks whose life hasn't turned out quite as they'd hoped, there's a weightiness to Marlowe's delivery of it that gives it a quiet power and makes it really stand out. I also really liked ‘Tennessee Don't Mind' with its contrast of sweeping cinematic fiddle and quick lyrical delivery, as well as the classic country sound of ‘Will It Be There In The Morning'. This tale of a one-night stand that could be something more is very adeptly handled, with Marlowe really drawing out the sense of uncertainty and the stripped-back approach putting a firm emphasis on his vocal quality. However, the two big stand-outs are ‘Smaller' – a moving, emotional tribute to the loss of a friend that's packed with details such as a jersey hanging up in a bar – and the piano-led ‘Broke Down In A Truck' which details the collapse of his relationship down to chucking his hat across his cab. There's a real rawness and honesty about his delivery on these songs that sticks with you and you truly believe that he's singing every word from his heart.
The record closes with the title track, which sees Marlowe reflecting on his parents' efforts to provide a good life for their family, as well as his own journey in life. There's a real reverence and awe about the song and you feel he's genuinely grateful for everything that's allowed him to get to where he is now. It's definitely a number that stays with you and the faded out ending gives a sense that something isn't quite done, as well as making me keen to see where he might go from here.
Overall ‘Keepin' The Lights On' shows Marlowe's growth as an artist and writer with its open, vulnerable approach. His vocals are excellent throughout and there's a real sense that he's come into his own on this album, especially when he's branching out into those storytelling aspects or drawing on the details of his own story. My only criticism is that the middle section of the record is a little too heavy on the acoustic numbers and I'd have liked it to be broken up a little with one of the rocky tracks, but there certainly isn't a bad song on here and lots to enjoy for old and new fans alike.
Track listing: 1. 911 2. Nothin' Slowin' Us Down 3. On My Way Out 4. Never Really Know 5. Tennessee Don't Mind 6. Leaning On You 7. I Can Run 8. High Hopes 9. One That I Don't Call 10. Lock Me Up 11. Will It Be There In The Morning 12. Quit You 13. Smaller 14. Strangers (featuring Ella Langley) 15. Broke Down In A Truck 16. Keepin' The Lights On Record label: Sony Music Entertainment Release date: 31st May 2024
