Plastic Yellow Band - Breathe Air

I’ve never liked attaching a specific genre to a band, but Plastic Yellow Band’s self-given title of ‘new classic rock’ seems to actually work, for the similarities to the bands and artists that would fit into the ‘classic rock’ realm are numerous. Even their name is a call back to John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band. The band has just released their new album, Breathe Air a fantastic exploration of leader’s Gerald Jenning’s influences.

Each song wonderfully appears different in style and influence. For instance the album begins with “Lonely Place” a piano ballad that starts sounding like something from Lennon or Jackson Browne, only to morph into something more akin to Fleetwood Mac. Immediately following this is “She’s My Woman”, a song completely dissimilar sounding far more like Led Zeppelin than Fleetwood Mac.

The album continues this pattern with songs sounding like everything from Pink Floyd to psychedelic-era Beatles on “Nowhere” and “Nervous Stuff.” The Fleetwood Mac trend continues again with the fabulous “I Want To Feel Your Love” with vocals by Dana Rideout. One may wonder why not simply listen to the originals, but the great thing is that these are not covers, they’re new songs.

If you love Fleetwood Mac or Jackson Browne, but would love to hear more of their classic period, than you only need to put this record on. So many of these songs sound like unearthed treasures from classic rock’s greatest bands. Breathe Air is a fantastic album for anyone unafraid to let loose and get their Dad Rock on.