Shawn Camp and Lisa Stewart pulled out all the stops at their show on Wednesday at Nashville’s intimate venue, the Analog in the Hutton Hotel. The pair displayed their on-stage and songwriting chemistry, sharing leads as they performed his songs, her songs, and their songs. They opened with “Baby’s Gone Home to Mama,” (in which Camp rhymes mama with Nostradamus.) Among their co-writes, they performed “Tambourine Girl in Go-Go Boots” and, for the first time with an audience their newest honky-tonkin’cheatin’ song, “I Really Hate to Leave You Without Making Love One More Time.”
Stewart, who also performs on the jazz circuit, demonstrated her range, putting her spin on a number of covers as well: “Too Far Gone,” “My Baby Thinks He’s a Train, and “It’s Over,” with a nod to Lucinda Williams. She also performed “Willing,” written by Lowell George, accompanied on keyboards by Pete Wasner, who toured with George.
Tim Crouch, on fiddle, suggested he might need to start a GoFundMe to cover travels, having “crossed the Mississippi twice this week to play with Shawn.” Jimmy Stewart on dobro provided harmony vocals and also sang lead on “I’m a Freeborn Man.”
One surprise for the audience was an appearance by Peter Rowan, whom Camp called “one of my heroes.” Rowan performed “Land of the Navajo,” with Camp augmenting his yodels.
Both Stewart and Camp shared songs they had written that won acclaim for other country greats. Stewart’s “Sky Full of Angels,” written after surviving a terrible car wreck, went on to become “Gospel Song of the Year” when recorded by Reba McEntire. Camp also has credit for “A Beautiful Time,” the title cut from Willie Nelson’s album that won Grammy for Country Album of the Year last year.
Camp also performed songs he wrote with the late Guy Clark–“Magnolia Wind” and “Sis Draper,” based on a fiddler from his Arkansas childhood. He also joined Stewart for the jazz classic “You Made Me Love You,” first recorded in 1913 by Al Jolson, and “Ready for Times to Get Better.”
Shawn Camp and Lisa Stewart closed the night with his song “My Love Will Not Change,” co-written with Billy Burnette and recorded by bluegrass icon Del McCoury and rocker Aubrie Sellers. The evening was a testament to the power of well-written songs and diverse sets, as well as proof that singer-songwriters can be at the top of their game in both areas.