"I have listened to hundreds of artists so far this year, so when I say Trouble and Mercy
is the best album I've heard so far, I really mean that. I'm a firm believer that to
write songs that move people and their emotions you need to have lived a bit and seen
and experienced the suffering that life can dish up and throw at you in dusty handfuls.
"There are no fancy thrills on this album...the tracks are stripped down to allow focus on
guitar and voice. The songs come across in an honest and intrinsically beautiful way that
allows the sentiment in each to strike you right in the chest. I heard every word of sorrow,
weariness, love, truth and tale of everday life. Cam Penner is a storyteller from the
Steinbeck / Jack London mould and if he had been around in the dustbowl era, he would have
been singin' alongside the likes of Woody Guthrie.
"....I can't recommend this man enough, if you get a chance, go and see him and get
Trouble and Mercy."
Folk Radio UK
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, 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
Hero Hill blog
Halifax
"If music had a quota system, then the category of singer- songwriter would be
closed due to overcrowding. Thankfully there isn’t, because Cam Penner and
his emotional songs of lives lived and experiences endured and enjoyed deserve
to be heard in all their stoical splendour. Penner was born into a Mennonite
community in Manitoba but left to work in a women’s shelter and run a soup
kitchen in Chicago. Returning to Canada, he distilled his belief in social
justice into songs of quiet, melodic intensity that are low on preaching
and high on warmth and empathy. His gruff, lived-in voice belies the
tenderness that flows through these 11 slow, soulful, folky tunes, anchored
by his acoustic guitar but embellished by sparse electric guitar, banjo and
piano."
Irish Times
Joe Breen
"Further proof that the best Americana comes from Canada.
....the album hangs together remarkably well as a collection of spare,
intense Americana, every bit as powerful as some of the big names in
the genre. It deserves to bring Penner much greater recognition."
Americana UK
Kai Roberts
"On the new album, he's Cam Penner all the way, an undeniable new star on the country
side of Americana... However, stellar arrangements would mean little if the songs, and
Penner's delivery of them, weren't so distinctive and powerful."
Third Coast Music
Texas, USA
"This really is a wonderful, evocative and passionate record. She's In My Head is
as uplifting as the lyrics are downbeat, a road trip transposed into music. Too Tired
to Pray is achingly beautiful and the perfect showcase for Penner's simple and soothing
vocals while Once A Soldier shows his ability as a storyteller and easily puts him up
their with Loudon Wainwright III or Tom Paxton.
"If You Love Somebody may just edge it for me as the standout track but with an album
of this quality it is liable to change with every listen. This record has caught me
completely by surprise and has touched me in ways that music rarely does. This is 46
minutes of honesty and beauty that is quite simply wonderful."
The Music Critic
UK
"This album is already one of my favorites for the year. Soulful,
innovative, and insightful songs throughout."
Larry Hillberg KVMR-FM
Nevada City CA USA
"This stripped-down presentation serves the new batch of tunes perfectly. For the
most part, the songs are left to stand strong and steady on their own... Throughout
the disc, little washes of pedal steel, long drawn out accordion chords and a
smattering of piano or cello add subtext to Penner's songs and complement his
soothing voice."
FFWD Magazine
Calgary, Canada
"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
Calgary, Canada
"When I was making my internet rounds of all things roots music there was one name on the Americana
charts that I didn't recognize. Mixed in with Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Roseanne Cash and
Guy Clark was Cam Penner. Cam Penner is from Southern Manitoba, his bio describes a rich life
spent traveling the country performing with some of the greats (Flatlanders, John Prine,
Glen Cambell). He's a completely indie artist putting out his own records and booking his own
tours. In that way he's like many of the artists featured on Songs:Illinois. That he's had so
much success is testament to the quality of his songs."
Songs:Illinois
De derde volwaardige cd van de Canadese singer-songwriter Cam Penner heet "Trouble & Mercy". Het is een verzameling van elf door de in Calgary, Alberta wonende artiest gecomponeerde liedjes. De opnamen van deze cd gebeurden twee dagen nadat hij van een tournee was teruggekeerd die een half jaar had geduurd. Daarbij trad hij op naast grote namen als Greg Trooper, Chip Taylor, Carrie Rodriguez, Fred Eaglesmith, John Prine en Richard Thompson. Tijdens die lange rondreis had hij de songs geschreven en ze geperfectioneerd zodat ze meteen klaar waren om definitief te worden opgenomen voor deze nieuwe cd.
De 'on the road' geschreven verhalen zijn gebaseerd op allerlei dingen die hij tijdens de tournee heeft waargenomen en die voor hem belangrijk genoeg waren om er een tekst over te schrijven. Daar waren minder leuke zaken bij maar ook enkele hartverwarmende momenten.
Deze cd volgt op het debuutalbum"Get Up" uit 2004 en op "Felt Like A Sunday Night" uit 2006 dat destijds op de Rootstime-site een zeer lovende recensie gepubliceerd zag. Qua muzikale stijl hoef je geen ingrijpende wijzigingen te verwachten op de nieuwe schijf "Trouble & Mercy". Cam Penner is een moderne troubadour die met zijn gitaar als voornaamste begeleidingsinstrument over de dingen die hem beroeren vertelt in zijn liedjes.
Als zoon van ouders die een illegaal roadhouse uitbaatten groeide hij op in de niets voorstellende dorpjes van Manitoba en Saskatchewan. Amper 19 geworden liet hij zijn verleden achter zich en trok naar Chicago waar hij eerst een soepkeuken uitbaatte en daarna ging werken in een opvangtehuis voor vrouwen. Daar kwamen voor het eerst de sociale gevoelens in hem naar boven die hem aangezet hebben tot het schrijven van liedjesteksten over de sociale aspecten en de geobserveerde onrechtvaardigheden die hij in zijn directe omgeving kon vaststellen.
Toen hij nadien terugkeerde naar Canada besloot hij om zich ook daar verder sociaal te engageren door gedurende dertien jaar voor een tehuis voor daklozen te werken. Het spreekt voor zich dat een dergelijke werkomgeving meer dan voldoende stof oplevert voor songteksten over het strijden, de hoop en het verlangen naar beterschap.
Op deze cd zijn het nummers als "All Of Yesterday", "Thirteen", "She's In My Head", "Trouble & Mercy", "Once A Soldier", het op accordeontonen gebrachte "Tired Of This Town" en "Peace Of Mind" die deze sociale aspecten als inspiratiebron hadden.
Deze derde cd van Cam Penner is sober opgebouwd maar verplicht de luisteraar om even dieper na te gaan denken over de onderwerpen en de emoties die hij in zijn nummers aan bod laat gekomen. Gedurende de twee eerste decemberweken van dit jaar is hij live te bewonderen in de Benelux. Doen!
(valsam)
Review
Rootstime Belgium
