Oh man it’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it? Time for a new record and some beer to go along with it. Up this time is a longtime favorite of mine, Dent May. I first discovered him in mid-2016 with his release of “Face Down In The Gutter Of Your Love” and became hooked.
That said… I wasn’t exactly have Dent May on my radar for new albums in 2024. Thus, it was a nice surprise when he announced and the records went up for pre-order. With that said, let’s get on with it.
The System
My system has been seeing a lot of change recently as I’ve been preparing for the Lone Star Audio Fest in Dallas. I plan on being an exhibitor, unofficially of course. I will have some of my reference tube gear there, but that’s for another discussion.
Back out in my media room are the Rega RS7’s. Despite lacking some weight in the lower octaves, they’re honest and just delightful to listen to. Powering that is a mix of my Luxman SQ-N150 and Rega Osiris integrated amplifiers.
And, as you might guess, the Rega RP10 rounds out the front-end. I’ll be honest that I need to get a new cartridge, but I’ll work with what I have for now.
Music
I want to start off by saying that – generally speaking – I’m a bit smitten by Dent May’s older music. So, this (light) review comes from a place of love.
The album starts off with a track titled “You Already Know” and you’re very much greeted with classic Dent May, but in a good way. It’s catchy, and has a good mix of both literal and metaphorical lyrics. When listening to the digital album, I found myself putting this one on repeat for a bit. I Dent May’s voice strangely soothing? Yes.
There’s a pleasing mix of vocals and instruments. The song doesn’t move too fast, and yet it’s over before you know it. The bass is a bit lighter but it doesn’t detract from the wonderful melody.
The next track, “Keep Me In Mind”, is something I can find myself relating to somewhat. Always being there for someone, knowing that they aren’t with the right crowd. The lyrics themselves are a bit straightforward, but that isn’t something I can fault with this track. Dent May still sings it like a word smith.
“One Call, That’s All”. It wasn’t for me, in either lyrics or melody/beat. Hey, they can’t all be winners. Okay, I’ll be honest, the next few tracks didn’t really work for me.
It wasn’t until “Kiss Me In the Rain” that I got my next great track. Back to his great mix of vocals and instruments. The bass line is light, but well done for this track. It honestly could have worked by itself, but the mix of flute was appreciated.
“Don’t Stop Doing What You’re Doing” felt like a chill motivational speech. I chuckled a bit as I was writing this, but yea, it’s the truth. Still, nice to listen to and class Dent May in its execution.
It seems only right that the second to last track is about Supper. We began with breakfast and now end with supper. It’s a small departure from the Dent May that I know, feeling a bit stripped down in its execution. I quite enjoyed the track though, and will happily listen to it again.
The final track was special. Again, a non-standard Dent May (for me). It kind of felt like a bit of an experiment… that totally worked!. Yea, it’s still in the safe-zone somewhat, but definitely a departure from the rest of the album.
The Beer
Trying to keep in the theme of breakfast, the beer we have today is the “One Saturday Morning” by Martin House Brewing Company. This is described as a blonde inspired by buttered waffles with syrup.
And, well, it definitely lives up to the name. While the flavor wasn’t bad, it was far too sweet for me. I think this is actually the second time I’ve had this beer and the first time I had the same reaction.
Not sure why I thought it’d change the second time, but here we are.
Anyways, overall, I would give it a 3/5, purely on the basis that they achieved what they were after. If you close your eyes, you definitely get that sense of buttered waffles.
Until next time, cheers!