Brett Dennen – So Much More

It’s a fair guess that Brett Dennen is happy with his feet in the sand. Influenced in equal measures by Bob Marley and Graceland-era Paul Simon, Dennen’s buoyant So Much More is an ideal soundtrack for a southern California beach party. Lyrically, though, his introspective thoughts often counterbalance the sunny melodies. “I don’t feel comfortable with the way my clothes fit/I can’t get used to my body’s limits,” he sings on “There Is So Much More”, the standout on this sophomore effort. As those lines suggest, the album shows an artist in development, one aware of his potential limitations but brash enough to reach beyond them. He succeeds most of the time. “So Long Sweet Misery” and “Someday” achieve the joyous heights Dennen aims for, though near-misses “Darlin’ Do Not Fear” and the formulaic “I Asked When” might leave listeners hoping there’s still so much more to Dennen’s artistic growth.