Gone are the days when the term 'independently released music' would provoke accusations of it being badly written, poorly produced and sloppily performed. These days, it signals quite the opposite, and one listen to Greg Tannen's superb, self-released 'Roam' is more proof of that fact.
Tannen is one of a seemingly lost generation of singer songwriters otherwise known as storytellers. His music is not only defined by the irresistible melodies and some great acoustic playing, but also by the journey his lyrical detail will take you on. Australian solo artist Paul Kelly and US legend Tom Petty are heavyweight examples to use in the same sentence, but Tannen has shades of both and a style uniquely his own.
Like me, you will no doubt initially struggle to skip past the excellent opening track 'Lucky This Time'. With the aid of Don Everett Pearce's harmonica magic, the tune has echoes of the Gin Blossoms' 'Follow You Down' and Paul Kelly's 'Love Never Runs On Time', but it is mesmerising all the same. The quintessential road song, its theme is escape, and the lyrics weave an acutely observed tale of sights, sounds and relationships into the addictive, upbeat music. It's a perfect combination, and with lyrics like "Cruisin' past a chevy/eyes are getting heavy/ and I lean my head out the side/the wind feels cool and the stars are shining blue/the radio's trying to fill up the night', you simply can't fault it.
If you manage to tear yourself away from the opener, then you are duly rewarded with more of Greg's tantalising vocal style and hook- laden tunes. Once again, the moody 'Everything I Said' reveals another cast of characters on the edge, and once again not a word is wasted nor a detail omitted in Tannen's lyrics. Throw in a great melody and it's not hard to see how Greg recently won the John Lennon Songwriting award in New York.
The song that was nominated is the folky 'Vegas Baby', a co-write with brother Steve Tannen (whose album is reviewed by Limeygit here) is hidden at the end of the album as a final treat. However the great songs keep coming long before then. The bouncy, upbeat rhythm of 'Can't Give Her Up' boasts some neat electric work and percussion from Craig and Chris Benelli, part of Tannen's tight backing band, while 'Back On The Bus' has a similar funky attitude and knack for a story. Travelling by Greyhound was surely never this much fun. (Actually I could tell you a story from 1995 that may change your opinion - ED)
However, it's the captivating, epic 'Mary' that really grabs the headlines behind the opener, and once more reveals Tannen's ability to pen songs which offer a widescreen sweep of real life with an intimate focus on poignant detail: 'Come on just once just take a chance/on me, on love, on romance'.
With the precedent set by 'Roam', I can only hope the songs Tannen is working on for his next record are as excellently performed, well-written and sharply observed as these. With that in mind, there's only one thing left to say - get recording, Greg!

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