Dan Bern - Breathe

When his debut album came out, Dan Bern was being touted as the next Dylan. It seemed only natural, considering they have the same nose and a very similar tone of singing voice. Somehow, Bern seemed to fall out of the "next Dylan" spotlight soon after that as he hired backup band, went electric, and made a few rock records (sound familiar?). This was followed by a couple of fist-pumping political activist efforts that, despite their eloquence, were all but ignored.

Great Work from Dan Bern

I'll never forget learning about Dan Bern for the first time. I went to see Ani Difranco in Central Park, NYC, and Bern was the opening act. He came out with his first song, bawdy anatomical references and all, and wowed the sold out crowd with "Tiger Woods," got us singing "aliens came and f***ed the monkey," and left a lasting impression on me. Now he's back with his 11th record, Breathe.

Like that other male folksinger to whom he is all too often compared, Bern does a magnificent job of writing songs that point to the inseparable bond between the personal and the political.

Breathe opens with the anthemic love song, "Trudy," followed by the self-effacing activist endurance title track. In it, Bern aptly sums up the generic progressive approach to the current political climate when he sings, "There's nothing innocent about a newborn babe that a few years here can't cure. And it's not so much that you burn out, but you finally just endure."

All Growed Up

Much of Bern's early work was sprinkled with humor and sarcasm, as he both flippantly and timelessly deconstructed social and political norms, relationships, and his own place in the world.

Breathe isn't relly riddled with this same cheeky humor, but you don't really miss it. Believe it or not, Dan Bern is really good at writing very serious straight-faced folk songs, and this album is teeming with them.

The only places that made me giggle a little bit were when he would pull out a somewhat childish metaphor amidst very grown-up statements. This could easily come off juvenile if I didn't listen to the whole song and realise that he's not doing it out of an ADHD boyish approach to honesty. It's just the way he makes a point, and it's rather effective.

The bottom line: If it's been a while since you picked up a Dan Bern CD, don't make the mistake of missing out on Breathe.

Highlights

"Breathe"
"Remember Me"
"Tongue-Tied"
"Rain"
"Past Belief"
"Another Man's Clothes"