The Respectables break new ground

The Respectables are a Canadian four piece who have plowed ahead with steady creativity and perseverance since first forming in 1991 and their latest single release “The Power of Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a worthy addition to their legacy. It’s the title track from their latest studio release and bears all the hallmarks of a signature rock classic in the making; soulful guitar playing free from cliché, emphatic vocals, and a solid tether to the mother of it all, blues, while still maintaining a fresh sound and approach. The single features some star power as well – longtime Rolling Stones collaborator and associate Bernard Fowler handled the song and album’s production duties and the band landed guitar slinger Waddy Watchel for a guest spot on this track. Watchel’s résumé features credits with some of the genre’s biggest names – Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, and Warren Zevon, to name a few. His six-string work is the icing on a particularly tasty cake.

URL: https://www.respectables.ca/

The song is a deliberate anthem and, for experienced listeners, predictable, but in the best possible way. The joy you feel hearing this song doesn’t come from hearing The Respectables break new ground but, instead, hearing how they pour old wine into new bottles with such style and flair. Watchel’s contributions to the guitar work never announce themselves per se – he does his best to blend into the band’s existing makeup and serve the song. Bassist Stéphane Dussault and drummer Stéphane Beaudin are an impressive rhythm section who never play in an obtrusive way yet infuse the performance with sort of wide swing this sort of song demands.

“The Power of Rock ‘n’ Roll” has a mid-tempo pace throughout and the transition from its chugging verses into the certain crowd-pleasing theatrics of the chorus comes off flawless. It’s moments like this where rubber meets road and the long experience of The Respectables comes into play – they are expert at riding a Stonesy grove without ever sounding like talented mimics. Sébastien Plante’s lead vocals are more than enough to carry the track alone, but the band enlists reinforcements for the aforementioned chorus and producer Bernard Fowler contributes his soulful voice for a brief passage with great results.

I-TUNES: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/the-power-of-rock-n-roll/1436860174

The lyrics are smart and well written despite turning on a handful of standard rock music tropes but, yet again, it proves the band’s facility to refashioning time tested elements in their own image. Some of the turns of phrase are particularly witty and certain to bring a smile to listener’s faces. The video features clips of Fowler and the band in the studio, but the band filmed the majority of the video’s footage on location in an assortment of settings. It isn’t a groundbreaking video, but it isn’t supposed to be. Instead, it reinforces and underlines the inherent quality of the track. The title track from The Respectables’ latest studio album shows any doubters there’s plenty of vim and vigor left in the hoary institution of rock music – provided its in the right hands as it is here.

Troy Johnson