Brett Dennen

I’ve reached a significant conclusion in my life. I need to quit my day job. What made me realize that was that even though Bret Dennen’s album So Much More was released in late 2006, I am just now getting around to listening to it as he is releasing his follow up EP More So Much More. So my creditors are just going to have to understand I have to spend more time listening to music. The album is lyrically poetic and spiritually reflective. Musically, Dennen is soulful in way very similar to Martin Sexton. The mood of the album balances his personal and political pessimism with a refreshing hopefulness. Sometimes it is almost as if Dennen sees opportunity in his struggles as he muses in the title cut, “I’d rather be stuck up in a tree than tied to it.”

The album also has a couple of unusual songs, “Darlin’ Do Not Fear” and “When You Feel It,” which have backbeats with a Caribbean Island music influence to them. In particular, “When You Feel It” has a resophonic guitar in the background as Dennen sings about his “Creole girl.” The hopefulness of the album is shown best as it exits with “Someday.” The keyboards on the song have a gospel feel as Dennen affirms “Someday in a cloud of gray I will make my great escape. My salvation is ahead of me. I can feel it calling me. I know that I will be redeemed.” Let’s hope we can all exit that way. Also feel free to send any donations you would like to make to the “Let Chip Quit His Day Job Fund.”
This review also appeared on: http://twangville.com