Customer Reviews

Hope for the Hopeless [Vinyl]

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Why is it that some of us always feel like the new music can't surpass the old? I remember back when I first got So Much More thinking I would never like it as much as his debut album. Well it soon moved into rotation much more often than the first album until I eventually thought "I really like this one better." Of course hearing "Blessed" still makes me feel so happy and "Desert Sunrise" is still one of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard - but overall I do prefer the second album to the first.

So when I first played Hope for the Hopeless I was expectant and...well... 'hopeful'. I didn't love it first time around. I remember thinking there are a few good songs on here. But after listening to it a few more times I really started to like it and now I love it just as much as the others. I really think "San Francisco" may be my favorite followed closely by "Follow Your Heart." I really like ALL of them though. Seriously, every last one.

I love his lyrical phrasing and his unique voice and he still plays upon that in this album. Something I have really enjoyed about Dennen's music is watching him grow. The first album seemed to be almost a tribute to (maybe) a personal lover and being in love with life. The next one still talked of personal love but also took on an intense look at the world around him. This one seems to focus on a loss of love to some extent but sharing his worldview. That's just my take - and I was already a big fan.

This is a great album. They took a slightly scary step for a folk artist by adding some heavier production to it, but it pays off extremely well for Brett.

His voice is just amazing, and I'm glad to see his stream of solidly amazing music keep coming.

I'm thrilled to report that "Hope for the Hopeless" is a terrific follow-up to "So Much More", and I was delighted with that one as well. There's no doubt that Brett Dennen is one of the best new talents to come along in years. I personally feel very fortunate to have "discovered" him (quite by accident), as I'm a Boomer who became disappointed and disillusioned with the state of the music "industry" ages ago.

And I hear tell that Dennen doesn't pay much mind to critics' opinions, as he "made the album he wanted to make"... Wow - a musician with talent AND integrity; and he's young besides, so I look forward to following him throughout what I expect to be a long and remarkable career.

Brett Dennen rocks - in this case, beginning with the first song ("San Francisco") all the way thru to the final one ("Ain't Gonna Lose You"). And the entire recording grows on you the more you hear it. Those are the best kind. Five solid stars.

Brett Dennen has been compared with John Mayer countless times in the press, and with good reason; the former camp counselor is a youthful, acoustic guitar-toting troubadour with a soulful voice that sounds older than its years and a penchant for self-awareness and social-consciousness messages. And, of course, he recently opened for Mayer on a national tour. Hope for the Hopeless, Dennen's third proper album, won't do too much to dispel his Mayer-clone image, but it's a charming, light collection of folk-rock that doesn't try to act bigger than it is.

The record starts off on the fairly unexciting "San Francisco," your typical breakup song that is about as offensive as a Miley Cyrus tune. Single "Make You Crazy," featuring Femi Kuti, is marginally better, but the whole thing still comes off as just a paler Mayer imitation with a touch of (ew) Dave Matthews. Things start to look up with the following slow burner "Heaven," which, although weighed down by some preachy "love everyone" lyrics, is an effective ballad.

Dennen hits his stride near the midpoint of the album, where the arrangements start to get a little more adventurous and the vocals start to sound more inspired than insipid. "Wrong About Me" rides a honky-tonk piano line and Dennen's under-the-surface anger to an excellent chorus, while "So Far From Me"'s distant horn and gentle finger-picking create a palpable atmosphere of longing. And despite "When She's Gone" sappy lyrics, the pulsing guitar and double-bass beat make for a pretty guilty pop pleasure by song's end.

The rest of the album is fairly hit-or-miss, with workmanlike yet catchy guitar-pop tunes alternate with particularly grating sermons ("Who Do You Think You Are?" is a big offender). Hope for the Hopeless ends on the opposite note that it began on, promising that it won't leave its love on the unsurprising closing ballad "Ain't Gonna Lose You." Neither both profound and amazing nor clichéd and stale, it's a good encapsulation of what came before it. Dennen's latest is everything a fan would expect from the Mayer school of singer-songwriters, and while it's not going to be pointed at as a landmark in the 2008 music year, it does a solid job of what it sets out to do.

Amazon is my hero right now for putting this album in their 50 for $5 for September! Brett Dennen is a genius, although this album isn't as good as his other two; he was better with the simple melodies and unadulterated talent of his first album.

First album would get 6 stars, definitely! The second and third ones get 5. This last album has a lot more drums, it's a bit more "pop" and it lacks the rawness of the first one.

It is hard to have Brett alone with his guitar on this album. In fact it's impossible, you always have the rest of the band. It's a diferent work and I would prefer it not to be, but it is still a very good album.

I have to say that I did like his previous albums alittle bit better than his latest disk, BUT...it is a wonderful album. He seems to respect himself and others. He doesn't fill his albums with bad language, but a message of hope, and cares for the world and others. Keep it coming Brett we need more like this. If people get tired of wondeful optomistic caring lyrics and vocals then they can go turn on MTV.

In the 60's a man named Robert Zimmerman made the leap from folk to Rock. Everyone booed until they "learned" the music and the style. In the 80's Steve Forbert did a similar thing even with the harmonica. Unfortunately, the style faded away because people quit being true to the music. They moved on to a made up sound while the musician stayed true to his art. Now comes along Brett Dennon. His first album, outstanding lyrics from a modern era and guitar. His latest album adds background vocals and a really tight band. No harmonica but notice the slight rhythm of the organ. Kinda Dylanish with the Band. I purchased both the 2005 and the 2008 music the other day. I am fascinated with his sound and so is my son... let's hope his music lives on and keeps growing. Great stuff!

I became a Brett Dennen fan after his second album "So Much More" which contains some great songs that I play constantly. The writing on all of his music is well down with a strong melody. However, I would love to hear Brett Dennen just play a guitar and sing a la Bob Dylan in his heyday. I do find as I listen to the album more, I enjoy the music more. The main reason is I start to hear and understand the lyrics much better. Sounds common, but not every album deserves a second listen.

Take a listen as Brett Dennen has the potential to be the next troubador of injustice and political ills (while creating great music).

After the perfection attained on his last release "So Much More", it took several listens to this diverse collection of songs to appreciate a different kind of magic. The music remains insightful and varied although there are not the several intense heart wrenching compositions present on the prior release. The tunes are generally somewhat more pop oriented which I do not take as a fault. With the pall of the Bush-Cheney regime years coming to a close; I suspect like many of us, Mr. Dennen has reason for renewed optimism. While political and social concerns still pervade the work of this thoughtful songwriter they are subtly interjected in a way that they remain pertanent without becoming stale.

In short, if this CD is approached without preconcieved expectations, I suspect new and old fans alike will value it for years to come. It is by far well above the crowd of most new popular music.