Dennen's new album Hope is relaxing, innovative

Despite the sunny attitude, Dennen shows depth.

By Andrew Terry
Oct. 13, 2008

Brett Dennen is a remarkable creation. He is a combination of all that is unnatural: He is a redhead and he has one of the most beautiful voices a person can possess, a remarkable Afro-folk style that anyone can get into. If there is one thing that I can say for Brett Dennen, it's that this is one redhead who's got soul.

Dennen's new album, Hope for the Hopeless, is a combination of all that is good about Dennen. It's an interesting mix of folk, blues, R&B and Caribbean rhythm, and he's put it together so well you can't help just relaxing and feeling it. There is no escaping his sound.

The album's current single "Make You Crazy" features Femi Kuti, the award-winning Nigerian pioneer of Afrobeat. The entire song just pulsates with energy and, for a lack of better word, groove, and its musicianship takes you away.

Then you listen to the lyrics. Suddenly, you realize that Dennen is pouring his soul out. He, like so many of us, is confused by the inability of humans to live in harmony. And that's the great thing about Dennen's style: He has the ability to transport listeners to a place that can bring about the best in a person, like staring into an endless blue sky and forgetting anything and everything. It's an unmatched place of sublime tranquility.

While Dennen has always possessed this unnatural gift, he went about it in a different light this time around. Dennen originally maintained a more solitary folk sound that featured him and his guitar with a simple yet charming melody. Hope for the Hopeless is a more R&B-infused creation, and although it is a new sound, it still feels remarkably like Dennen and manages to work in the same vein. Everything has a nice pop shell but, once you actually start listening, there is so much more here.

It is a complete testament to the quality of the album as a whole that particular songs can't be highlighted. Focusing on one song would make it so another might be left out. The point is that the entire album flows smoothly, transitioning from groove to folk to R&B seamlessly. Every song is unique and enjoyable from start to end. It's an effortless walk across the vast portrait of Dennen's soul. Every piece of this album entraps you and that is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

This album is worth five stars, two thumbs up and a couple of smiley emoticons. Any way it's put, the end result is the same resolution. This is an album for anyone. There is no barrier to entry with Hope for the Hopeless. If you like R&B, pop, folk, music in general, this is something worth investing in. If you currently don't own any Brett Dennen, this is easily the album to convert you.

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More Oct. 13, 2008 Arts Stories

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