Anyone that's gotten deep into a beer or 5 and talked music with me will verify that I'm a lyrics guy at heart. Oh, I love all kinds of music, but the stuff that really resonates in me has always been the poetry. I've been known to force friends to sit quietly with me and take in a song, if the words really strike a chord.

I'll be sitting a few people down to listen to Ain't No Reason by Brett Dennen. In fact, I may just take a few hostages and not release them until they've listened to every single note on Brett's phenomenal album

.

Brett isn't the only guy in folk rock these days with a seriously distinctive voice, and it's tempting to make the easy comparison to contemporaries with similarly unique vocal timbres. The fantastic Kevin Devine comes to mind. But I'd rather compare Brett's style to someone less current. I can't listen to

without thinking about Steve Forbert -- specifically his 1978 debut Alive on Arrival. I realize I may be speaking to an incredibly narrow subset when I say so, but if you love Steve Forbert like I do and you're not listening to Brett Dennen yet, you need to remedy that situation immediately.

Brett's music is soulful, engaging, and insightful. His songs about love, ( She's Mine and The One Who Loves You The Most ), are playful and dare I say cute, but Mr. Dennen is at his glorious best when his songs explore his social conscience. These three songs in particular have all spent some time being looped on my player, and I present them to you with my most sincere endorsement:

Ain't No Reason (

)
There Is So Much More ()
I Asked When ()