For those who might not have access to the channel, AXS TV has a program in its daily schedule titled “The Top 10 Revealed.” Hosted by Katie Daryl, the show presents Top 10 lists in various random categories compiled by votes from viewers, such as the Top 10 Love Songs, Top 10 Sports Jams, and Top 10 80s Rock Ballads. In October 2020, the show went north of the border and presented a list of the Top 10 Canadian Recording Artists. Without surprise, the list’s top spot was claimed by none other than Rush. Other acts featured in the list were the likes of Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Drake, and veteran rock band The Guess Who. The Guess Who’s inclusion in that list was more than justified, considering the impact that the band has had on the music industry over the course of its half-century-plus life. The band has released more than 20 albums, under the monikers of Chad Allen and the Reflections, The Guess Who? and The Guess Who. Those albums have produced timeless singles, such as ‘American Woman,’ ‘These Eyes’ and ‘No Time’.
While the band’s music has never made it one of the elite upper echelon bands of the rock industry, the group has still enjoyed fame and popularity among plenty of audiences around the world with each album that it has released. Its latest album, Plein D’Amour, is no exception to that rule. Released Friday through Deko Entertainment, the eight-song album is an offering from The Guess Who that the band’s established audiences and rock purists alike will agree is a welcome new entry from the band. What’s more, it is a presentation that said listeners will agree is an equally welcome addition to this year’s field of new rock albums. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical content makes for its own importance and will be examined a little later. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements and brings the whole together firmly. It will also be discussed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make Plein D’Amour a complete success that is easily one more of the best of this year’s new rock albums.
Plein D’Amour, the latest album from The Guess Who, is a welcome new offering from the veteran rock band that shows without question, there is still plenty of life in the rock world. Coming roughly five years after the release of the band’s then latest album, The Future IS What It Used To Be (2018), the 36-minute album impresses in part through its featured musical arrangements. From the record’s opening to its end, its arrangements are pure classic rock in their sound and style. They are not the kind of works that audiences have become familiar with from today’s neo-classic rock bands. Rather they take listeners on a trip back in time, one after another. The album’s opener, ‘The King’ for instance immediately conjures thoughts of Foreigner’s 1977 hit single, ‘Cold As Ice’ what with the semi-bluesy approach that it takes in its verses. At the same time, listeners could also argue that there is something of a Beatles influence in the arrangement that when balanced with that clear Foreigner comparison, makes the song in whole quite surprisingly engaging and entertaining.
On another note, a song such as ‘Headline’ – which is also the album’s latest single – changes things up, offering listeners a more folk-rock approach in its arrangement. The harmonies in the vocals and the semi-acoustic instrumentation lends the arrangement to comparison to works from the likes of Kansas and Styx. Even with that comparison being evident, the arrangement here still boasts its own equally engaging and entertaining identity. What’s more it is an identity that is separate from that exhibited in ‘The King’ and from the rest of the arrangements featured in Plein D’Amour.
‘Free,’ the album’s penultimate entry, is yet another example of the importance of the musical arrangements featured in The Guess Who’s new album. As with the other two songs examined here, it changes things up yet again, continuing to show the diversity in the record’s musical side. In the case of this song, its gentle, piano-driven arrangement subtly lends itself to comparison to works from Bruce Springsteen and to a lesser extent, Billy Joel, as well as the aforementioned Styx and Kansas influences. The steady time keeping and vocal harmonies featured here pair with the light guitar work and piano line to make the whole so fully enjoyable. When it is considered alongside the other arrangements examined here and with the rest of the album’s entries, the whole makes the album’s overall musical content a solid foundation for the album.
Building on the foundation formed by the musical arrangements is the lyrical content featured in each of the album’s songs. ‘Across The Line’ is a prime example of the role that the album’s lyrical content plays in its presentation. The song is a fully accessible song about love found. This is made completely clear as the song’s subject comes right out at one point and openly says, “Guess I just wanted to say I’m falling in love.” That leaves zero doubt about the song’s theme in this case. The song’s subject builds on the statement, noting that ‘I’m trying hard to find the words I want to say/I’m in need of a parachute/I’m falling faster than the speed of sound.” This metaphorical language about falling is obviously a reference to someone falling in love so fast while the mention of needing a parachute is a reference to that mental and emotional need to slow things down so that the subject doesn’t get ahead of himself (or herself). This all-too-familiar theme and the easily accessible fashion in which it is presented adds to the appeal, showing in whole why this song is just one example of what makes the album’s lyrical content important to its success.
‘Spaces’ is another example of what makes the lyrical themes featured in Plein D’Amour so important. In the case of this song, the theme comes across as being a sociopolitical commentary. The seeming commentary comes as the subject sings, “Is this the next catastrophe/Could be bigger than the sun gets to see/How many times has Rome fell?/And does Heaven share the same space as Hell?/In a place of calm/Is far away and out of reach/But I guess there’s nothing wrong/Every moment there’s a thought that comes to life/And then it passes/And I guess there’s nothing wrong.” From there, the song mentions in tis second verse, “Tiny little people” who “turn and run/Certain that the future’s with the one” even though “life has a funny way of saying/The fun has just begun/’Cause you’re not staying here.” As the song progresses, the subject expresses discontent about all of the negative headlines in the news, saying he just wants to “walk away…till later.” This comes across as that familiar feeling of being fed up with it all that we all feel especially nowadays. If in fact this content really is meant to be a commentary (much like that of ‘Headline’), then it is to be applauded in the original fashion in which it is presented. It makes the song one more example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content.
‘The King’ is yet another example of the importance of the album’s lyrical themes. In the case of this song, it does come across as being yet another commentary, and if words are to be believed, the commentary in question comes across as being about none other than former President Donald Trump. Though in reality, it could also be about anyone just like him. This is inferred right from the song’s outset in its lead verse and chorus, which state, “The king sits all alone with his head down on his throne/And he’s cryin’/The court had stood him up ‘cause they had enough/And he’s crying’/His simple trick of rhetoric/Like blood from a finger with a little prick/The hanging scroll sits on a stick/And he’s cryin’/Call up your moneymaker/Maybe he’ll find a taker/It’ll take a lot to break him/But give it tie/And he’ll break.” This is clearly an illustration of a corrupt leader who knows his time is short especially since those who were once loyal to him have left him to fend for himself. This is exactly what has happened with Trump, too. So many who were “loyal” to him during his time in office have now left him and revealed his corruption to the world. As a matter of fact, many news reports have even stated that many of his former loyalists have said behind the scenes, the giant orange has in fact been freaking out quite a bit behind the scenes as his legal troubles mount. So to that end, it sure makes this song’s lyrical commentary seem that it is pointed at him. As the song continues, the speaker says to those who maybe still believe the corrupt leader’s lies, “You’re only foolin’ yourself/If you think it’s gonna last/And he’s cryin’/There will come a day when they all pass away/Then who is gonna star in your one-act play?” Again, here is that commentary that the era of the corrupt leader will come to an end and said person will eventually be left alone as will those who still stood by him, believing his lies. Even if this is not directly aimed at Trump and his supporters it is easy to see how it could just as easily be pointed at them. To that end, it is another wonderfully creative political commentary that is sure to engage and entertain plenty of audiences. When this and the themes examined in the other songs noted here are considered along with the rest of the album’s lyrical themes, the whole makes just as clear, the importance of the album’s lyrical content. When the overall lyrical content is considered alongside the album’s musical content, the whole of said content makes the album all the more positive in its presentation.
As much as the overall content featured in Plein D’Amour does to make the album successful, it is just part of what makes The Guess Who’s new album worth hearing. The record’s production plays its own pivotal role in the record’s presentation. That role is in the album’s general effect. Audiences will be just as pleased with the record’s production as with its content. That is because throughout the course of the album’s nearly 40-minute run, the instrumentation in each song is expertly handled, with each musician perfectly complimenting his fellow musicians. At the same time, the instrumentation in each song is just as well-balanced with the vocals. The resulting effect is songs whose arrangements are fully immersive and whose lyrics are so easy to understand. That might not seem much on the surface, but on a deeper level, it is very important. That is because in even the most basic rock records, it can be easy to misinterpret (or be largely baffled by) lyrics because the instrumentation so overpowers the vocals. It is as if, in those records, the vocals and instruments are at exactly the same levels, resulting in the overall effect being that something is washed out. So again, this is a key aspect to the record. The time and effort that went into balancing everything fully paid off, resulting in a general effect that is just as positive as the musical and lyrical content featured throughout the album. All things considered the content and its production makes the album a success from beginning to end that any fan of The Guess Who and any casual rock fan will find enjoyable.
Plein D’Amour, the brand-new album from The Guess Who, is a successful new presentation from the veteran rock band that its established audiences and even more casual listeners alike will find enjoyable. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements. Each of the album’s eight total arrangements wonderfully transport listeners back to a greater age of rock with sounds and styles that evoke sounds not only of the band’s own catalog but of works from the band’s contemporaries from that memorable era of music. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements make for their own engagement and entertainment because of their accessibility and familiarity. At the same time, the original way in which the themes are presented makes for its own interest, too. The record’s production rounds out its most important aspects, as it results in a positive overall general effect. Each item examined here is obviously crucial in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make Plein D’Amour a successful new entry from The Guess Who and an equally welcome new entry among this year’s field of new rock albums.
The Guess Who is in the midst of a tour in support of its new album. The tour’s current schedule is noted below:
2023 Tour Dates
Jul 02, 2023 – The Surf Ballroom – Clear Lake, IA
Jul 22, 2023 – Music by the Lake – Williams Bay, WI
Jul 28, 2023 – Oswego Harborfest Mainstage – Oswego, NY
Jul 29, 2023 – Pavilion at Point of the Bluff Vineyard – Hammondsport, NY
Aug 17, 2023 – Erie County Fair Grandstand – Hamburg, NY
Aug 18, 2023 – Tupelo Music Hall — Derry, NH
Aug 21, 2023 – Lorain County Fair – Wellington, OH
Sep 21, 2023 – Robins Theater – Warren, OH
Sep 22, 2023 – Temple Theatre – Saginaw, MI
Sep 23, 2023 – Golden Nugget Atlantic City – Atlantic City, NJ
Oct 07, 2023 – Grand Casino Mille Lacs – Onamia, MN
Oct 12, 2023 – Egyptian Theatre – Park City, UT
Oct 13, 2023 – Egyptian Theatre – Park City, UT
Oct 14, 2023 – Egyptian Theatre – Park City, UT
Oct 15, 2023 – Egyptian Theatre – Park City, UT
Oct 20, 2023 – Golden Nugget Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
Oct 21, 2023 – Ameristar Casino Hotel- Kansas City, MO
Oct 27, 2023 – Andiamo Celebrity Showroom – Warren, MI
Oct 28, 2023 – The Des Plaines Theatre – Des Plaines, IL
Oct 29, 2023 – Old National Events Plaza – Evansville, IN
Nov 3, 2023 – The Lerner Theatre – Elkhart, IN
Nov 5, 2023 – Sidney High Auditorium – Sidney, OH
Dec 2, 2023 – Sugar Creek Casino – Hinton, OK
Plein D’Amour is available now through Deko Entertainment. More information on the album is available along with all of The Guess Who’s latest news at:
Website: https://theguesswho.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theguesswho
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theguesswho