Hope for the Hopeless opens with a modern folk-rock melody infused with the notes and rhythms of classic blues. It's the sound Brett Dennen introduced to his listeners on his previous albums, So Much More and his self-titled debut record, but now, with a more developed, practiced approach for his latest release, he sets out to master this rock-blues hybrid.
On his latest release, Brett Dennen makes his music sound easier than it's ever sounded before. It is as if he just plopped down in the recording studio one day and this was what came out of him - a rhythmic confession of emotion about leaving a lover and heading to San Francisco.
But once the second track, Make You Crazy,"" starts to play, it takes the listener in a completely different direction. There's an unexpected hint of reggae music that lends itself to the musical stylings of Femi Kuti, a famous Nigerian Afrobeat musician. The song features Kuti's voice, along with unique musical instruments, including hand drums and chimes, creating a musical jubilation with cultural flair.
This foray into uncharted territory for Dennen makes it hard to determine which direction he will take the album next.
As it turns out, the remainder is classic Brett Dennen: soulful, folksy and rich with sentiment. As a whole, the record is cohesive, with each song possessing traits of the others, but not so much that they all sound the same.
The record, however, is a little redundant, having many overlaps both in emotion and sound between songs, but it doesn't serve as a severe detriment to the record's quality. It's an easy album to follow, and each song plays a key role in its makeup.
The constant that keeps the album's quality so high, is its powerful lyrics and Dennen's distinctive voice. Although the lyrics might be melodramatic at times, their meaning is honestly expressed and lend the album significant emotional depth. Some songs talk of feeling empty after losing love, while others sing of refusing to let a lover go.
Others discuss general life lessons and the injustices that naturally arise in life. In Dennen's emotion-packed ""Heaven,"" he sings, ""Castles and cathedrals crumble / Pyramids and pipelines tumble / The failure keeps you humble / Leads us closer to peace / Heaven, heaven / What the hell is Heaven? / Is there a home for the homeless? / Is there hope for the hopeless?"" These types of lyrics get the listener invested and emotionally connected to the music, making for an enjoyable album.
In total, Hope for the Hopeless is phenomenal. Although it trips over the bumps of repeated melodies and the occasional exaggerated lyric, the record still holds its own. It has sonic characteristics similar to John Mayer, Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews Band, and if Dennen continues to make such high quality music, he might just be able to establish himself prominently among those artists.
