Camille Nelson sounds her immense talent with Lead Me Home

Guitarist and violinist Camille Nelson releases her second studio album, Lead Me Home. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah – Nelson has lived in Nashville, Tennessee for a couple of years and speaks English, German and Italian. Nelson is a guitarist and violinist specializing in acoustic-driven folk music. She has been in the music industry for over 8 years, recently signing with Stone Angel Music and just released her second studio album, Lead Me Home on August 18, 2017. Nelson draws musical and creative inspiration from her travels abroad. She’s visited more than 70 countries. Drawing from a deep respect for and admiration of diverse global cultures, she integrates a uniquely multi-cultural perspective into songwriting, following years living in South Africa, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, prior to and while pursuing her Masters degrees at the University of Utah and Utah State University and later her Ph.D. at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Nelson currently teaches graduate courses in management, communication and leadership, while still finding time to purse her career in music with hopes of motivating and moving others through the power of song.

About the Album

Lead Me Home is comprised of 12 compositions that feature renditions of traditional hymns and pieces composed by Nelson. With a sonic backbone of acoustic guitar and violin, with layered violin parts and vocal harmonies, the music is a blend of classical, inspirational, acoustic-folk, and contemporary instrumental styles, with notable overtones of Celtic and Americana. Shane Mickelsen is the album’s conductor and string arranger, while an outstanding lineup of contributing musicians variably lend violins, viola, cello, fiddle, mandolin, dobro and pedal steel guitar.

Our Favorite Song

Our favorite piece on the album is the traditional Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” The track features the superb Celtic vocals of Alex Sharpe. With singing in Gaelic, this stunning arrangement highlights Nelson’s imaginative finger style guitar work as well as her violin playing. The string ensemble is a full backdrop for both Nelson and Sharpe, giving weight without taking away from the song. This deeply moving arrangement embodies an essence of beauty and majesty, as the music naturally unfolds, yielding a track that is calming and entertaining all at once.

In Conclusion

Lead Me Home features a wide variety of instrument sounds, musical styles and above all, splendid guitar playing. Nelson’s guitar style is highly melodic and her ability to craft musical guitar parts that have counterpoint, harmonic clarity and melodic movement is brilliant. Emphasized by acoustic guitar and violin, this is a set of professional, sophisticated and inspirational songs by an artist with immense talent and musicianship.