Album
Odyssey
A fully self-performed and self-produced instrumental rock album that captures a major step forward in Jamie Penner’s songwriting, recording, and production, while drawing on classic influences, personal memories, and the ongoing adventure of making music independently.
Release date: April 28, 2022
In stock
Album introduction
A fully self-performed and self-produced instrumental rock album that captures a major step forward in Jamie Penner’s songwriting, recording, and production, while drawing on classic influences, personal memories, and the ongoing adventure of making music independently.
Track listing
About this release
About Odyssey
Odyssey marks a clear step forward in Jamie Penner’s development as a self-taught writer, musician, recording engineer, and producer. Compared with his debut, the album reflects stronger songwriting, more confident arrangements, and a more developed approach to recording and production.
The title works on two levels. It describes the creative and technical journey Penner had begun through independent recording, while also paying tribute to Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure, a favourite game from the Apple II era.
Performed and produced entirely by Penner, the instrumental album combines original material with new interpretations of “Popcorn,” written by Gershon Kingsley, and “Sunny,” written by Bobby Hebb.
The album also contains several personal and musical reference points. “Royal Treatment” is a tribute to Queen guitarist Brian May. “Sunny” recalls the summer of 2002, when Penner made a guest appearance alongside two members of the Canadian rock band Prism on a regional television program promoting a concert. During that broadcast, the Prism members performed “Sunny” live.
“Denim Blues” introduced another new element to Penner’s recordings: guitar talk box. The effect was convincing enough that some reviewers mistook it for processed vocals rather than guitar.
Released in 2022, Odyssey documents an artist moving beyond the experiment of making a first album and into a more assured phase of writing, recording, and production.
Track notes
Inside the tracks
01The Journey
An original instrumental that opens the album and establishes its central idea: progress through writing, recording, and creative exploration.
02New Shoes
An original composition that reflects the album’s more confident and developed musical direction.
03Popcorn
Jamie Penner’s interpretation of the electronic instrumental written by Gershon Kingsley.
04Royal Treatment
A tribute to Queen guitarist Brian May and the distinctive guitar sound and musical personality associated with his work.
05Denim Blues
Penner’s first recording to feature a guitar talk box. The effect was mistaken by some reviewers for treated vocals, even though every apparent “voice” on the track was produced by guitar.
06Pivot
An original instrumental representing movement, change, and the willingness to take a composition in a new direction.
07Sunny
Jamie Penner’s interpretation of the Bobby Hebb composition. The track also recalls the summer of 2002, when Penner appeared as a guest alongside two members of the Canadian rock band Prism on a regional television program promoting a concert. The Prism members performed “Sunny” live during the broadcast.
08Odyssey
The title track closes the album by returning to its central theme: the continuing adventure of learning to write, record, engineer, and produce music independently. The title also nods to the Apple II game Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure.