The young American Brett Dennen can be added to the list of singer / songwriters that dominated the charts in the second half of the noughties, such as Jack Johnson, James Morrisson and John Mayer. For much of that music the following applies: pleasant listening food but also somewhat non-committal. Brett Dennen also cannot escape that qualification. He meets all the preconditions for success: a
… striking voice, a well-developed sense of melody and lyrics with a more than average tendency to self-reflection. His third album Hope For The Hopeless starts strongly with three heckless radio hits. Unfortunately the album does not convince on all fronts. He sometimes operates dangerously close to the edge of sentimentality (“is there hope for the hopeless”) and still packs his songs too much into safe arrangements. Nice is the touch of soul that he manages to put into his songs. For the time being he gets the benefit of the doubt, in any case the talent is clearly present. (MS)more
