Brett Dennen: So Much More

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In his brief career, newcomer Brett Dennen has survived one of the worst things that can happen to a young singer-songwriter-being compared to Bob Dylan. The so-called "New Dylan" label has hobbled the careers of many folky types who couldn't thrive in the shadow of that association. It's redundant to say that any folk singer is filtering Dylan, so visible is his fingerprint on the genre. The young Californian pens a mean lyric, but he has too many un-Dylan like facets for the comparison to harm him. For one, he can be disarmingly transparent and compassionate-even at his most cutting, he sidesteps Dylan's trademark anger and irony on his sophomore effort So Much More.