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Press & Reviews
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Liking the sound of the new Cam Penner album, Gypsy Summer. Check here for a free song download. CBC Key of A Cam Penner Gypsy Summer In the digital age, it’s almost impossible for an artist to slip through the cracks if you pay attention. Endless retweets and self-congratulating humble brags, facebook events mailed to distribution lists and emails that flood your inbox become suffocating. Thankfully, their are still a few surprises left in this big world. A few weeks ago, I logged in and realized Cam Penner had a new record ready for the masses. Starkly contrasting the stripped down Trouble & Mercy, Gypsy Summer finds Penner experimenting with bolder sounds and much bigger arrangements. In the past, the soft acoustic picks and plucks eased the listener into the painful emotions and weary optimism, but now a full band of strings, bass, keys, drums and electric guitar leads all cushion the brutal honesty for which Cam is known. The successful fusion of textures and lyricism on the opening number, “Driftwood”, is the strongest offering on the record and a perfect introduction to his new sound. Drums, electric, harmonica and understated steel all float along, and Penner rides the wave singing with an unfaltering optimism, even as the world tries to break him. It’s gonna get worse, but it’s gets better. Make no mistake, Gypsy Summer still feels like a Penner record. His gruff voice still oozes more emotion than you’d think possible and the simple, straight forward lyrics (follow you heart wherever it leads, I will follow my heart until it bleeds) are still gripping, but there are moments that will shock and amaze even the most devoted Cam fan. “My Lover & I” explodes out of the speakers with a pseudo-funk groove and the drum heavy intro to “Throw Your Hands Up” is so surprising, it’s reminiscent of the first time I heard “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”, but Cam understands these bigger sounds well. Penner still plays to his strengths; every tale is a relatable, personal stories delivered from the perspective of characters we want to know so when he adds steel and harmonies to the beautiful “Flesh & Bone”, the noisy fuzz to “Gypsy Woman” or strings and electric guitar to the inspirational “Hey My My My”, you aren’t overwhelmed by the new textures, you simply sink into the backdrops. The symphony of strings that frames the classic Penner lyricism of “Hour of Need” showcase the tasteful evolution of his sound, but the change seems completely natural and essential to his growth as a musician. Gypsy Summer might not be the record you were expecting, but it’s a must-hear. Gypsy Summer Review Cam's new record, Trouble & Mercy is devastating. The songs were written on a six month tour across North America and explore the differences between rich and poor, life on the road, love, lust and loss. These songs are the type born in in hotel rooms and grubby couches when the heartache and home sickness of being on the road for months finally wins out over wanderlust. The type of songs when emotions and thoughts float to the surface and surge through your body uncontrollably. Remarkably even as he delves into these heartfelt emotions, Cam keeps a steady hand on Trouble & Mercy and when you think he might have hit rock bottom, you still get the impression that he knows life will get better. You can hear his heart break countless times on this record, but his need to keep fighting challenges any regret or pity you might feel and really pushes this record along and keeps you listening. The album opener, All Of Yesterday, showcases Penner's determined nature. Without shame, he admits he's willing to do whatever it takes to get back to his lover. The beautiful banjo and harmonies thicken the song, but make no mistake, All Of is one man's painful journey. Penner follows with the powerful 13, a tale of a convicted man that uses electric guitar and ominous steel to haunt your thoughts. The echoes of his picked notes and steel the band throws in on If You Love Somebody does the same. Throughout this 11-song gem, Penner proves he's a fantastic song writer, formidable story teller (Once as a Soldier) and does all of this without trying to spin clever phrases or relying on pretentious word play. Penner speaks to the people as one of us. At one point, that's what we expected from folk artists, but somehow lately it's changed. Today, coffee shop strummers sing about their own life, unconcerned whether or not you can relate. For Cam, each and every lyric comes from the bottom of his heart, but it could be about any of us. If you can't relate to a song like Tired of this Town you've either lived a charmed life or you haven't lived at all Trouble & Mercy Review Always a songwriter who strives for depth, Cam Penner makes some of the deepest cuts of his career on Trouble & Mercy, a rich acoustic record that finds him working minus his usual backup band... While some of that gravelly grit may be missed, Penner brings a tenderness on this one that's hard to deny. Calgary Sun Cam Penner's latest "Gypsy Summer". Work has a soundtrack today. Slowcoustic | |
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