Vancouver’s Pennan Brae released “Paint” back in November, a 7-track rock album that pulls heavily from the ’70s and ’80s. The record was tracked at Blue Light Studio with producer Kaj Falch-Nielsen, but the real draw here is legendary drummer Steve Ferrone playing on every track. Ferrone’s parts were recorded in Los Angeles after Brae laid down guitars in Vancouver, which is an unusual workflow but clearly didn’t hurt the end result. The album also features Vancouver Symphony Orchestra violinist Cameron Wilson, a horn trio (trumpeter Jocelyn Waugh, saxophonist Kaylar Chan, and trombonist Nebyu Yohannes), and harmony vocals from Alison Jenkins. Guitarist Vinay Lobo contributed to “It Ain’t Perfect But It’s Free,” while Brae handled guitar and organ elsewhere.
The second I heard that intro riff on “It Ain’t Perfect But It’s Free”, I knew I was in for a good time. You just immediately recognise that element of great musicianship from every contributor on this record. The drum groove here is killer as always, courtesy of Steve Ferrone. The song, aside from its polished funk-rock groove, lyrically conveys an anti-authoritarian message, which is at the heart of rock and roll.
Even though 7 songs is a relatively low number of songs on the album, Pennan Brae manages to create a diverse vista of songs as we move to the second song, “Girl In The City”, pulling from his country rock influences. While “Take Me Back” is more reminiscent of that 80s pop rock sound à la Bryan Adams.
“Slide” has more of a classic rock sound with great tom grooves for the verse, and Pennan Brae playing some fun organ parts. It carries that Rolling Stones influence with pride. “Say That You Will But You Won’t” takes us back to that ’80s sound with more focus on melodicism. The record is like a tour of rock styles played authentically by musicians that aren’t playing it performatively; there is genuine passion here enough for an entire population. The concrete proof of that is the second half of this song, where we see the violin played by Cameron Wilson and soulful harmony vocals carry us with endless momentum supported by the drums to the finish line.
“Do What You Do” is my personal favourite song on the record. The energy here is palpable, it’s addictive and drives forward nonstop. It’s a perfect blues-rock song. The organ and vocal melody, and guitar riffs, along with the rhythm section, create a force with unstoppable momentum that is more than the sum of its parts.
We close with what feels like a continuation of the first song, with a funky groove “Synergy (With Horns)” as the title implies features the horn trio of Jocelyn Waugh, Kaylar Chan, and Nebyu Yohannes, and they deliver a beautiful fanfare of smooth harmony in the chorus, and help accent the groove in the verses. Speaking of the verse, the syncopated groove that everyone participates in for the verses is executed immaculately. If I had to describe the record in one phrase, it would be “Groove city”.
Pennan Brae‘s been recording at Blue Light Studio for 15 years, and that familiarity shows in the finished product. This is his best work so far, according to him, and it’s hard to argue. Having Ferrone anchor the entire thing gives it a cohesion that ties the stylistic shifts together. For a 7-song record, it covers a lot of ground without losing focus. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel of rock and roll but delivers authentic powerful groove based songs that should be on the playlist of all rockers.
