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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It ain't braggin' if it's true. This is one great album., September 6, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Smartie Mine (Audio CD)
I first saw Dan Bern open up for the Jayhawks a few years back and I hated him. But I couln't forget him. And so, a few years later plus a lot of time with Bern's discs in my CD player, I am a confirmed believer. Bern lays it all on the line with this raw, almost-live studio effort. There are some songs on this album that are fun and novel, (Woody and Bob, Bruce and Dan), covers that are phenomenal interpretaions (Freight Train Blues, Cocaine/Blue Jay Way) and some tunes on this album that are downright inspired (Joe Van Gogh, Gambling With My Love). Where most songwriters can't get past the idea of even the most basic metaphors and tend to employ hackneyed and cliched lyrics, Bern is a true poet. On songs like "Gambling With My Love", Bern spins a yarn that operates on multiple leves of storytelling and metaphor all at once. Songs like that aren't written, they are divined through discipline and experience. You can compare Bern to Dylan just as easily as you can compare him to Elvis Costello, but the truth is, Dan Bern is just Dan Bern. He draws from a number of traditons (folk, rock, punk) and manages to come up with something rare: an origional sound. His influences come through from Tom Waits to Dylan to Costello to the Beatles and more, but there is no doubt that this man is no imitatior. Bern may well go unrecognized in a public eye that seems to have an ever increasing appetite for disposable pop. His sound is too raw, his message to brutally honest and real. But if you are interested in some unabashed ego, some biting satire, some valuable insight into the human condition, then you have to hear this man. You may not like who Dan Bern is but the power and authenticity of his art are undeniable.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bern's "Smartie Mine" a rare gem for music fans, May 13, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Smartie Mine (Audio CD)
Dan Bern doesn't take himself terribly seriously. And for that reason, among others, you should. Every few years, an album comes along that reminds true fans of music that everything hasn't been done. There is new territory yet to be explored. While Bern has obvious influences (Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Elvis Costello, to name a few), he also has a unique voice and message that represents a refreshing change of pace from the cacophony of bubblegum, formulaic pop, so-called-alternative and loud statement-rock that dominates the airwaves. Bern's music is firmly grounded in the tradition of modern folk pioneered by the likes of Dylan and Woody Guthrie, but he's not so impressed with his predecessors and himself that he can't have fun with his songs. Another Amazon.com reviewer of this two-CD, 27-song set observed that upon practically every listening of "Smartie Mine," the listener finds a new favorite song - one he or she hadn't fully appreciated before. I agree. This is an album that listeners who "get it" will never get tired of listening to. Bern's raw vocals, harmonica and acoustic guitar add to the authenticity of most all the album's songs. The discs contain socially poignant tracks like "One Thing Real" and "City of Models" scattered among entertaining, funny and subtly masterful compositions like "Tiger Woods," "Krautmeyer" and "Gamblin' With My Love." Bern also is not above treating listeners to the occasional tender love song, as witnessed with "Alia," "Baby Love" and "Sculptor." And on tracks like "Chelsea Hotel," "Crosses" and "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce and Dan Blues," listeners will swear they're hearing the second coming of Bob Dylan. However, no comparison to an existing artist is adequate to describe the album's coup de maitre and final track, "True Revoultionaries." From Timothy McVeigh to Nike, all bases are covered. Enough said. In summary, check out Dan Bern if you'd like to reminisce about a time when music meant something, or dream about a time when it can once again.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love this man...., January 14, 2007
This is perhaps my favorite of all the Dan Bern cd's and I've bought it for a few of my friends. Not only does it have more songs than any of his other releases, it has a lot of variety. I highly recommend it to any of his current fans who may have missed buying it, or any new fan that would like to hear more. My favorite tracks include: Chelsea Hotel, Two Month Affair, and Sculpter, but I've been known to pop one of the cd's in my car and listen to it for a week at a time.
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