Review: Cam Penner

Cam Penner - Gypsy Summer (Independent)
Has Cam Penner got enough talent 'to shine through’, to quote a sample of his lyrics from "Driftwood", the opening track? The voice is pleasant enough, although he rarely stretches out to give us a display of pure passion, even when a track takes off, as is the case with the final minutes of "Gypsy Women". The expected vocal yowl, or at least a more heartfelt vocal, to accompany the unleashed guitars and drums, is absent.

What follows, though, is well-mannered music, pleasant enough, occasionally poignant (the self-penned songs mostly have a fine edge to them, a picture quality that needs little tuning as you listen), but the limits of control are never forced, so that edginess stays within the lyrics. The 'emptiness' in delivery is not a haunting one, which he could easily get away with, as the timbre of his voice appears to have a distinctive growling baritone in its depths, and the band have already displayed their ability to burn.

In this day and age singer-songwriters have to find more, and deliver it up with gusto to get some attention; and then you might be taken seriously enough to have a stab at the long run. Cam Penner may have it - he shows more raw emotion on the final, stripped down track, "Come As You Are", than the rest put together - but it’s rarely seen on this competent set of eleven songs.
http://campenner.com/index.html
Kev A.