BRETT DENNEN
''POR FAVOR''
MAY 20 2016
39:00
**********
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
**********
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.
**********
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.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''POR FAVOR''
MAY 20 2016
39:00
**********
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
**********
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
**********
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.
**********
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.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
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