Dan Penn Smoke Filled Room
On December 5th, in Austin, Texas, I was poised—with palpable excitement—to step into a veritable temple of the blues and a true institution of the Texas capital: Antone’s Nightclub. Since opening its doors in 1975, the venue has hosted a mind-blowing lineup of performers. All the greats have passed through its doors, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Clifton Chenier, playing to the delight of patrons who enjoy the show in air-conditioned comfort while savoring the venue’s signature steamed hot dogs, just as their advertisements proudly proclaim.
On that particular evening, yet another legend was preparing to take the stage: a man largely responsible for shaping an entire facet of popular music through the songs he penned for artists such as Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, many of them recorded in the legendary Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama. I am speaking, of course, of Dan Penn.
Although he has written a staggering number of songs—including “I’m Your Puppet,” recorded by James & Bobby Purify, one of the greatest soul tunes ever—albums released under his own name remain a rare commodity; it is therefore with great anticipation that we welcome his latest opus, Smoke Filled Room, set for release on April 17, 2026 via The Last Music Company. The years go by, but the emotion remains intact and the songwriting craftsmanship remains intact.
The title track opens the album, a song that Penn tried to cut for a long time, with the help of Andy Peake on drums and programming, mixed by Billy Lawson, and backed by Mike Durham and Gary Nicholson on guitar, Paul Ossola on bass, and Carson Whitsett on keyboards. It allows him to draw inspiration from the golden age of Muscle Shoals.
“Blues of the Month Club” is cut from the same cloth; Penn even chuckles as he alludes to one of his greatest hits: “The Do Right Woman liked it, and that was good enough for me,” referring, of course, to his wife, Linda Penn. The production leans toward a clean, modern sound, offering a different perspective on material rooted in the golden age of Muscle Shoals; one might at times find oneself wishing for a slightly more organic feel, though the undeniable quality of the songs remains front and center.
The immensely talented bassist Bucky Lindsey, a native of Biloxi, Mississippi, with whom Penn collaborated on numerous occasions (notably on Don’t Give Up on Me by Solomon Burke, which also featured Carson Whitsett), passed away last year; he can be heard singing on the track “Crazy Old Girl.”
Dan Penn is definitively still in the pantheon of the greatest songwriters.
For those who will be in New Orleans on May 1st, he will play at Chickie Wah Wah with his longtime friend and collaborator, the legendary keyboardist Spooner Oldham.
Find more information here on his website: https://www.danpenn.com/