The Damn Truth Self Titled CD Review

 

The Damn Truth return with their self-titled fourth album, The Damn Truth, on Friday 14 March via Spectra Musique and, once again, produced by the legendary Bob Rock (Motley Crue, The Offspring, Bon Jovi, etc)  and was recorded over a period of two months at Bryan Adams’ Warehouse Studios in Vancouver and is the follow up to previous LP, 2021 's Now or Nowhere .

Pre-order the album on vinyl and CD HERE. Pre-save the album digitally HERE.

The Damn Truth are Lee-la Baum (lead vocals/guitar), Tom Shemer (lead guitar/vocals), PY Letellier (bass/vocals) and Dave Traina (drums/vocals) and all play their part on this 11 track album that has everything to take this to the next level.

Superbly produced by Bob Rock it's has melody, it has rock, it has choruses built for stadiums, it has soul and with the weather now showing that summer is approaching it needs to be played loud with the roof down. If you can obviously!

Every time I listen to the album I pick a new favourite track or melody line or guitar solo.

Be Somebody starts on acoustic pickings and a gentle vocal line  before the band kick in and what a great chorus with Lee showing her full vocal range and then a drop of pace in the second verse before picking up again in the pre chorus. More light and shade before Tom's highly melodic guitar solo that then carries on around and under Lee's vocal in the next chorus and outro. 

Going to be a great show opener in the live show.

I Just Gotta Let You Know has a real 70's groove and the pace doesn't let up in fact it increases with Dave on drums adding to the mix alongside the wah infused guitar solo.

Love Outta Luck is wonderful. A bass line leads to a drum rhythm and a Lee vocal that is full of soul and grit and no little melody as the guitar riff dips in and out on the verse. Huge chorus and Tom add libbing guitar soloing into the second verse and into the second chorus. More guitar soloing and Lee letting it all go it's another bound for the live show. Love it.

If I Don't Make It Home is ballad material with a beautiful Lee vocal full of melody lines and held notes and Tom's mid song slide guitar solo is under stated before he solo's underneath Lee's vocal and the backing vocals and he increases pace in the outro. Superb.

Better This Way starts on an acoustic strum and is led by the same riff with Tom guitar solo add libbing in the verse and Lee reigns back on the chorus with the backing vocals adapting the same approach too.

The band shows a great sense of pacing throughout the album with light and shade and love the way the message stays the same but so many ways to say it.

Mirror Mirror has an eastern tinge to the guitar riff and Dave on drums leads the rhythm section in pace and feel and the held notes from Lee in the chorus show great control alongside the feel and texture of the song.

All Night Long has a great driving guitar riff and PY on bass sounds great from Bob's great production with Dave again driving the pace with Lee having a grittier edge to her vocal in the verse but back to the clean huge chorus melody line.

The Willow sees the band sat round a campfire with an acoustic guitar pickings and Lee's held notes in the intro before a huge rock guitar riff kicks in mid pace tempo. Then back to the acoustic second verse and then back to the rock and a fantastic Tom guitar solo as the band turn up the pace a notch and then back to acoustic for the outro. Another sure fire live favourite in the making. Wonderful.

Addicted sees a bobbing bass line and a 70's rock guitar line all deep and meaningful and a great short chorus with Lee increasing her vocal in the second verse sounding like Beth Hart and that's no bad thing in my book. Tom's short fiery guitar solo fits in perfectly.

Killer Whale sees a big guitar riff and driving drum rhythm and Lee all big notes and breathless majesty and another huge chorus.

The Dying Dove has a Western feel in the acoustic pickings and Lee's held notes delivery immaculate. A minute in it explodes in the chorus with backing vocals a plenty that continues throughout the outro too with Lee add libbing furiously and Tom soloing too. 

A fantastic ending to an album that has blown me away and deserves to see The Damn Truth hit the heights.

Photo Credit: © Natali Ortiz