Cameron Rafati - Album Review

Cameron Rafati, a local musician and newcomer to the musical scene, released a self-titled album over the summer.

Rafati is a native of Salt Lake. According to his website, Rafati started pursuing his passion after giving up a lucrative career of coaching older women on their relationships with younger men. I can understand why such a change would be so appealing.

My first experience with Rafati was at a free show at The State Room in downtown Salt Lake City. He started off his show with the sweetest cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" that I've ever heard. I was extremely impressed with his demeanor and his showmanship. The man is skilled – that much cannot be disputed. After his show, I was totally convinced that the man was destined for greatness. I wanted to hear his album to see if the recording would match the awesome show that he put on for the few fans and followers he had garnered in his relatively short musical career. Unfortunately, I cannot say that it did. But it came close. There are a couple of really sweet tracks on this album, but along with Rafati's highs come lows. One track in particular sparks my ire and drags down the overall quality of the album.

Rafati has compared his music to old-school Coldplay. I don't think so. The only song that I can honestly compare to a Coldplay single is "53rd Story," the album's fifth track, and it is not going to take Rafati's album anywhere soon. I really think Rafati's album lacks an element of awesome power that Coldplay has possessed for nearly a decade. However, if I were reviewing "Parachutes" in 2000, I would have said that the only track worth anything on that album was "Yellow." That's a big statement; these days, I practically worship Coldplay. Does Rafati's debut album have the single that can take him from the coffee shops to the big time, and get him to a place where he can explore his musical talents without financial restrictions? I would say he has a reasonable shot. The best songs are good, but it's no "Yellow."

The best three tracks on this album are the second, fourth and sixth tracks, "1 in 10," "Speck Out in the Blue" and "Dirty Conversation," respectively. All these songs feature a strong melody and even stronger hooks – in other words, these songs stick in your head after you're done listening to it. I really enjoy these songs. These are the reasons behind my overall strong review of the album.

Had I been Rafati, I would have kept almost all of these songs on the album, but reorganized them so that "1 in 10" and the others were closer to the top of the album instead of spread throughout. Starting the album off with its first track, "Kite for a Comeback," totally disillusioned me. I wanted the album to open the same way Rafati opened his show - with pure awesomeness. The album got better, though.

Rafati explained the story behind "1 in 10" at his show in Salt Lake, and I think it bears repeating: Often the inspiration behind a song influences our perception of it, and in this case, it does.

Often, men will see women who look remarkably similar to other girls they have crushed on, and in turn, will become infatuated with them. Rafati said such girls inspired the single. I can't help but think it's a very creative source for a single of this caliber, and that it tells the listener a lot about the artist behind the music. "1 in 10" really allows the album to recover from a lackluster first track, and gets it set on the right path again.

The album meanders through "Battles," "Speck in the Blue," and "53rd Story." "Speck" is the best of these three tracks, and though I feel it ends poorly, the most redeeming fact about this song is that it is played with a ukulele, which gives it just enough to edge out "53rd story" and give it the best of these three middle songs that give the album the most substance. Rafati's live performance of the song was absolutely phenomenal.

After "53rd Story," the album takes a turn for the worse, and I mean it REALLY takes a turn for the worse.

When I see that an artist has named a song after his home city, I naturally think that it's a positive reflection of the city, its citizens, and the quality of life. Not so here. The seventh song of the album, "Salt Lake City" is a depressing, critical ballad that rails against the culture and people of Utah.

The first line in the song is "I'm sick of this town/I'm sick of this city/The fools got me down/and these girls are too pretty." I guess Rafati doesn't like Salt Lake City, which is evidenced by the fact that's he's left it behind. Rafati lives in Southern California.

Mr. Rafati, trust me – having been all over the country and even in several foreign countries – you're not going to find better looking girls anywhere else. Just sayin...

From a more musical standpoint, I think this song would fit better as a funeral march. It lasts forever, it's depressing, it's melancholic, Rafati screams in it, and it's just plain bad. It's like Rafati takes five minutes to throw a temper-tantrum about the fact that he doesn't like Utah. I can't understand why anyone would want to listen to it.

The melancholy of "Salt Lake City" continues through the last song of the album, "Mausoleum." The biggest difference, however, is that I find the mood to be appropriate for the last song. I can easily picture an old Addams Family-type mausoleum and Mr. Rafati with a rose in hand, leading a sultry mistress in his own version of the tango to the tune of this song. It's quite the contrast from the meat of the album, but has its attractive qualities in its own right. It's a quality ending to the album.

Overall, I give this album a B-. If it didn't have "Salt Lake City" in it, I would have given it a B+. I find it to be a quality, and certainly a well-rounded album with a flair for the dramatic and the critical. Rafati has potential, but I think we'll have to see something more out of him before Madison Square Garden sells out to him.

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