12057 - BRETT DENNEN - POR FAVOR (2016)

BRETT DENNEN
''POR FAVOR''
MAY 20 2016
39:00
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01 - What's The Secret? 02:49
02 - Cassidy 04:28
03 - Stand Up For It 03:59
04 - Bonfire 03:25
05 - Strawberry Road 03:45
06 - Another Life 03:51
07 - Where We Left Off 04:00
08 - Burning Spirit 03:04
09 - Tengboche 05:13
10 - I'll Be On Your Side 04:21
All Tracks By Brett Dennen
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Brian Allen/Bass
Dave Cobb/Clapping, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Percussion
Whitney Coleman/Vocals (Background)
Brett Dennen/Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Chris Powell/Drums, Percussion
Kristen Rogers/Vocals (Background)
Jon Solo/Keyboards, Mellotron, Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer
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REVIEW/AMG
Timothy Monger
Since making his debut in 2004, Brett Dennen's amiable folk-pop has earned him a loyal following and placed him among some of the previous decade's more prominent contemporary pop troubadours, from Jason Mraz to Ray LaMontagne. While he hasn't quite enjoyed the success of those acts, it's certainly not for lack of trying. His wealth of hooky melodies and thoughtful acoustic musings has been spread out over five strong releases and his almost John Denver-like aura of sincerity gives him an approachable allure. On Por Favor, the singer's sixth effort, he strips his music down to the barest essentials to create what is easily his most vulnerable and intimate album. Admittedly worn thin by a relationship on the rocks, family trouble, and a health scare, this is a Dennen we've never heard, with a noticeably frayed spirit and a searching heart. The feeling of heightened sensitivity and the minimalist production from Nashville's Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) gives Por Favor more of an organic and timeless feeling than any of Dennen's prior work, and his quavering high tenor has never sounded so appropriate to the material. But even in his darkest hours, Dennen's breezy style and humble demeanor make him come off like a fallen optimist trying to retune his antenna sunward. Light tones of calypso and reggae color tracks like "What's the Secret?" and "Stand Up for It," and the rhythm section of drummer Chris Powell and bassist Brian Allen pepper the tunes with a roomy, off-the-cuff vibe. On his sunnier moments, Dennen evokes the loose, rootsy vibe of American Beauty-era Grateful Dead, and there's even a reference to Jerry Garcia on the hushed standout "Strawberry Road." Recorded in just a couple of weeks at Cobb's all-analog Nashville studio, the performances are loose and honest, with tape hiss filling the gaps between chords on quieter tunes like "Where We Left Off" and the bittersweet closer "I'll Be on Your Side." As both a writer and a singer, Dennen has never sounded so fragile and unpolished and it's a perfect fit for this fantastic group of songs.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
James Christopher Monger
Amiable West Coast singer/songwriter Brett Dennen first drew attention in 2004 with the single "Desert Sunrise." The tune, with its easy groove and soulful phrasing, garnered enough spins on KCRW to warrant the release of his self-titled debut the following year. Stylistically, Dennen's thoughtful, laid-back tunes fit in with the burgeoning singer/songwriter scene that had produced stars like Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson. He signed with Dualtone and released 2006's So Much More, followed two years later by Hope for the Hopeless. When he wasn't headlining his own tours, he could be found opening bills for Dave Matthews, Taj Mahal, Ziggy Marley, and Jackson Browne, among others. Dennen's fourth studio effort, Loverboy, arrived in 2011 and featured subtle African rhythms and more of a pop veneer. It was followed in 2013 by the sparser, acoustic-based Smoke and Mirrors, which was released by Atlantic. The album was a success and landed Dennen in Billboard's Top 200 for the first time. By this point he had also landed a number of prominent TV placements including the theme song of NBC's sitcom, About a Boy. His fifth album, 2016's Por Favor, was a rhythmic, stripped-down affair with a light reggae flair.
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WEBSITE
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TO THE TOP
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6105 - BRETT DENNEN - Smoke And Mirrors (2013)

BRETT DENNEN
''SMOKE AND MIRRORS''
OCTOBER 22 2013
36:20

1. Sweet Persuasion /3:02
2. Wild Child /3:37
3. You Make It Easy /3:06
4. Only Want You /3:26
5. When We Were Young /4:22
6. Smoke and Mirrors /3:50
7. Don't Mess With Karma /4:09
8. Out Of My Head /3:41
9. Not Too Late /3:29
10. Who Am I /3:26
All Tracks By Dennen

Ruby Amanfu /Vocals (Background)
Sam Ashworth /Guitar (Acoustic), Hi String Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background)
Brett Dennen /Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Scott Dente /Guitar (Acoustic)
Dan Dugmore /Pedal Steel
Mark Hill /Bass, Guitar (Acoustic)
Tim Lauer /Hammond B3, Keyboards, Omnichord, Synthesizer
Andy Leftwich /Fiddle, Mandola, Mandolin, Violin
Jeremy Lister /Vocals (Background)
Jerry McPherson /Acoustic Slide Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
Charlie Peacock /Bass, Bells, Drums, Fender Rhodes, Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Piano (Electric), Toy Piano, Wurlitzer
Steve Shebby /Banjo
Matt Slocum /Cello
Jon Solo /Cowbell, Hammond B3
Aaron Sterling /Congas, Drums, Percussion
James Sweeting /Hammer Dulcimer
Mike Viola /Guitar (Acoustic)

REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
Brett Dennen seems to be growing into his voice. High-pitched, fragile, and delicate, at times sounding eerily like Tracy Chapman or Billie Holiday, that voice, at first anyway, can be distracting, drawing attention away from his airy, melodic, and carefully written songs, although that voice hasn't kept his first four albums from drawing a lot of critical acclaim and attention. On this, his fifth full-length release, which follows the African rhythms and pop veneer of 2011's Loverboy, Dennen's vocals seem stronger and more certain, and the new songs, although well in line with what he's been writing all along, also seem to have accepted a simpler, easier template, and the sometimes ornate lyrics and phrasing that have kept a song or two from breathing in the past are largely absent here. Working with producer Charlie Peacock in Nashville, and featuring bassist Mark Hill, guitarist Jerry McPherson, drummer Aaron Sterling, and background vocalist Ruby Amanfu, Smoke and Mirrors has fewer pop touches and more of an acoustic backdrop than his previous album, all of which allows this new set of songs to breathe, and Dennen sings them well, sounding at times more like Jason Mraz and less like Jimmy Scott. The production is warm and wide, and sparse in all the right ways, giving songs like the opener, the bouncy "Sweet Persuasion," and the first single, the singalong "Wild Child," a sturdy feel, more joyous and feisty than fragile and delicate. Another highlight, the infectious "When We Were Young," sounds like a classic Tom Petty song, albeit with a higher-pitched lead vocal. In all, this outing is perhaps Dennen's strongest so far, with a warm and easy acoustic feel to it.

BIOGRAPHY
by James Christopher Monger
Youthful West Coast singer/songwriter Brett Dennen, with a fragile, high-pitched voice that makes him sound at times like a cross between Tracy Chapman and Neil Young, first drew attention in 2004 with the single "Desert Sunrise." The tune, with its easy groove and soulful phrasing, garnered enough spins on KCRW to warrant the release of his self-titled debut the following year. In 2006, Dennen signed with Dualtone and released So Much More. Hope for the Hopeless followed on the same imprint in 2008. Dennen's fourth studio effort, Loverboy, which featured subtle African rhythms and more of a pop veneer, arrived in April of 2011, followed in 2013 by the sparser acoustic-based Smoke and Mirrors.

3882 - BRETT DENNEN - The Definitive Collection (2013)

BRETT DENNEN
''THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION''
JANUARY 29 2013
48:47

1. Ain't No Reason/3:37
2. Blessed (w/ Forro In The Dark)/4:41
3. Darlin' Do Not Fear/5:10
4. Sydney (I'll Come Running)/3:52
5. Heaven/4:00
6. Make You Crazy (feat. Femi Kuti)/3:36
7. Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)/3:25
8. She's Mine/4:30
9. The One Who Loves You The Most/4:57
10. Joan Of Arc (w/ Forro In The Dark)/3:58
11. Ain't Gonna Lose You/4:51
12. Hard Times Come Again No More/2:10

REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
Although he's a bit young to already have a definitive collection, it would seem, West Coast singer and songwriter Brett Dennen has already proved himself to be a songwriter and performer to reckon with, and from his self-released, self-titled debut in 2004, through three albums with Dualtone Records, 2006's So Much More, 2008's Hope for the Hopeless, and 2011's Loverboy, he's explored themes of love, death, and pain with a high-pitched, frail vocal style that somehow turns fragility into a sunny, mellow vibe that exudes hope even as he tackles some pretty heavy subjects. Add in his frequent use of subtle African-like pop rhythms and one gets an artist who sounds like Neil Young or Nick Drake fronting the Dave Matthews Band, or maybe Jimmy Scott working with a smooth jazz jam band. This set collects key tracks from all of his albums, with three new songs added in, making it the perfect introduction to this odd, fascinating, and definitely singular talent.

BIOGRAPHY
by James Christopher Monger
Youthful West Coast singer/songwriter Brett Dennen first drew attention in 2004 with the single "Desert Sunrise." The tune, with its easy groove and soulful phrasing, garnered enough spins on KCRW to warrant the release of his self-titled debut the following year. In 2006, Dennen signed with Dualtone and released So Much More. Hope for the Hopeless followed on the same imprint in 2008. Dennen's fourth studio effort, Loverboy, was released in April of 2011.

DoWnLoAd