After touring the UK and Europe for the last four years, Canadian rock and roll band The Damn Truth return with their self-titled fourth album, The Damn Truth; and once again, it has been produced by the legendary Bob Rock (Motley Crue, The Offspring, Bon Jovi).
Said to be the culmination of 12 years of hard work and constant touring; The Damn Truth will be released on Friday 14 March via Spectra Musique.
Fuelled by two Top 40 singles on the Canadian Active Rock Charts (‘Love Outta Luck’, ‘I Just Gotta Let You Know’), the new album marks the next level in their relationship with Bob Rock. He has pushed the band in all areas of playing, writing and refining The Damn Truth signature sound, apparently most evident in the revelatory power of Lee-la Baum’s vocals as evidenced on the mystic, almost Zeppelin-vibed ‘The Willow’; the full-on bittersweet romance of ‘Better This Way’; the social conscience of “The ‘Dying Dove’; the cautionary ‘If Don’t Make It Home’; and the hell yeah rabble rousing ‘All Night Long’.
Out now new single, ‘Better Way’ is available on Spotify, with a video you can check out below.
With a deeper rasping tone to her voice, The Damn Truth’s Lee-La Baum is in reflective storytelling mode on the country busking ‘Better This Way’, continuing to be so even when the band pick up sticks and begin rocking down the highway. Big on female backing harmonies that blend well with the guitars, it’s a number that makes you long for warmer weather and better days ahead.
Singer Lee-la Baum recalled the phone call that started it all: “It’s 3 am in the heart of London. The adrenaline from an epic show supporting Glenn Hughes still courses through my veins as I collapse into my hotel room. Just as I start to unwind, my phone jolts me awake. It’s Bob Rock! The same Bob Rock I’d sent our demos to just hours earlier. Anticipation fills the air as I answer the call. “Hello?” “Hi there, it’s Bob!” “How are you, Bob?” I reply, barely able to contain my excitement. “I’m great! I listened to the new songs first thing this morning and I just had to call you right away. It’s awesome! Probably the best songs you guys have ever written. I’m excited to see you guys in a few weeks.” “Let’s make a record!”
The album was recorded over a period of two months at Bryan Adams’ Warehouse Studios in Vancouver. This is Rock’s favourite studio, a classic and gigantic old-school recording haven (AC/DC had just wrapped up prior to The Damn Truth’s arrival), perfect for the massive drum sound that Rock loves. Unlike their previous LP, Now or Nowhere (2021), that was hampered by COVID restrictions; this one is 100% produced and mixed by Rock, who also gave the band access to his incredible collection of rare and vintage guitars for the sessions.
At the start of the project, Rock told the band: “When I hear you guys, I feel the spirit of Zep 1, let’s make a record like that, playing together, live, feeding off each other’s energy. That’s rock n roll”
Led by singer/guitarist Lee-La Baum, the rest of the quartet consists of lead guitarist Tom Shemer, bass player PY Letellier, and drummer Dave Traina. Critics have been nothing but effusive concerning Lee-la’s vocals. Rock At Night magazine stated, “Lee-La sounds like a combo of Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship) and Ann Wilson (Heart). Her vocals are beyond powerful… Incredible rock and roll.”
Bassist Letellier noticed a difference in this album’s creation, “Working with Bob this time around really brought new layers to our music that we hadn’t really had before.”
“Bob Rock is synonymous with the biggest bass and drum sounds,” added drummer Traina, “But with us, he seemed more interested in the lyrics and melody. He had us play each song quietly with an acoustic guitar and Lee-la’s voice. We built the music around those focal points.”
Their last album, Now or Nowhere, caught fire in the UK and Europe with airplay on over 70 stations plus A-list airplay on Planet Rock, the UK’s most influential rock station, in addition to the BBC 2 Rock Show.
The Damn Truth has constantly toured Europe performing to audiences in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, and more). The band have also toured with noteworthy rock bands and artists including Z.Z. Top, Rival Sons, The Cult, Glenn Hughes, The Sheepdogs and Styx.
Their July 2024 festival run in Europe included their first-ever appearance in Romania (Open Air Blues Festival Brezoi) where the reaction was so overwhelming that the band has been invited back for this year’s festival. They will return to the UK this November for a series of festival and club dates.
This February, the band are special guests on the sold-out Rock Legends Cruise with Alice Cooper, Styx, Burton Cummings, John Waite, Jason Bonham, and others. Another career highlight was being part of the Alex Lifeson’s (Rush) 2023 all-star band charity concert at Massey Hall, Toronto with Baum singing lead vocals.
Tracks featured on The Damn Truth are: ‘Be Somebody’, ‘I Just Gotta Let You Know’, ‘Love Outta Luck’, ‘If I Don’t Make It Home’ ‘Better This Way’, ‘Mirror Mirror’, ‘All Night Long’, ‘The Willow’, ‘Addicted’, ‘Killer Whale’ and ‘The Dying Dove’.
You can order the album on vinyl and CD here and digitally here.
