Sanctuary the CD
Sanctuary is Linda Campbell’s debut CD. The album has all original songs and in 2002 Linda received SCALA’s Highly Commended Award for, Song for Charlie, and was a Semi Finalist in the ABC Newcastle 2005 Music Awards for, Fool’s Gold. Sanctuary can be described as a bit hippy, a bit mystical, a bit political and very very poignant. There is also a touch of blues in the mix influenced by Linda’s time in New Orleans.
Musicians featured on Sanctuary
Other musicians featured on Sanctuary include Jan Couchman from the Fellowship of the Strings on the haunting Celtic Harp, Christopher Martin on the Darumbuka (Egyptian drum) and Frank Russell on the Blues Harmonica.
Why the title ‘Sanctuary’?
Songs on the album flirt around the multiple meanings of
the word sanctuary:
the right to claim political asylum
the freedom to roam without fear
a protected nature reserve for all living things
a time and place for peace, quiet and reflection
the sacred – the inner sanctum
About the Album Cover
The little golden flower in the centre of the front cover has a very personal meaning for me and it depicts a real wildflower (see – About the Songs, Little Hope Flower). In the wild, each one of the actual flower’s petals is (amazingly) a perfect shape of a heart - the symbol for love. The flower has five petals and in Western Mysticism the number five represents the hidden power resonating in Nature. The five petals (attached with the numerous meanings of the word ‘sanctuary’) form the border for the front cover. The deep green background is symbolic of nature, harmony, balance and renewal.
See 'Purchase Sanctuary' to view album cover.
“Hope
is a flower that blooms defiantly in the winter”
2007 CD Review by Australia's National Folk Magazine, Trad and Now
Linda is a passionate performer who certainly puts her money where her mouth is by donating 50% of any CD sales to the causes she believes in so strongly. Her website www.pems.com.au/wolfsong is worth a look if you share any of her passions.
I found two of the tracks especially powerful. The first was ‘Ruby Blade’ the story of Kirsty Sword Gusmao and the East Timor Liberation fight. Kirsty placed her life at risk during this fight, married the leader and is now First Lady of East Timor. The other was the tribute to the late Dr Charles Perkins, ‘Song for Charlie’. It gives recognition to a man who should not be forgotten in our History. He led the Freedom Rides and Aboriginal Embassy along with his many other accomplishments such as being the first indigenous Australian to achieve a university degree. These two tracks showcase Linda’s talents as a songwriter able to get to the heart of complex issues.
Her songs are thought provoking and cover a wide range of ideas from the intensely personal ‘Little Hope Flower’ to the anti consumerist ‘Fool’s Gold’. Several tracks portray Linda’s view of the beauty found in the natural world. Linda is not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve and write with conviction about the things she believes in. People who wish this world to be a better place and who are interested in the environment would enjoy the sentiments in this CD. Isn’t that all of us in the folk scene?
By John Williams