Hope for the Hopeless

Brett Dennen
Studio album by Brett Dennen
Released October 21, 2008
Genre Folk, pop
Length 42:41
Label Dualtone/Downtown
Producer John Alagia
Professional reviews

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Brett Dennen chronology
(More) So Much More
(2007)		 Hope for the Hopeless
(2008)		 Loverboy
(2011)

Hope for the Hopeless is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Brett Dennen. It was released on October 21, 2008 by Dualtone Music Group and Downtown Records, following Dennen's tour of Australia. Afro-Beat Nigerian musician Femi Kuti appears on the album's first single, "Make You Crazy".[1] The album peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and number 4 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.[2] Referring to "Make You Crazy", Dennen told Rolling Stone: "I made the song catchy but it's about all the injustice in the world."[3] That song is known for having a music video starring American singer Mandy Moore. "Heaven" was the second single released from this album and Brett decided to sell it also on iTunes. Natalie Merchant, former leading singer of 10,000 Maniacs rock band features on this single.[4]

Contents

Critical response

Hope for the Hopeless received a score of 71 on Metacritic, which collated reviews from Entertainment Weekly, Allmusic, Popmatters, Paste, Billboard and Rolling Stone.[5]
The most favourable review came from Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt, who hailed the albums "tuneful folk-rock accessibility" before giving it a final rating of B+. Dennen's songwriting was held up to scrutiny by, among others, Popmatters Aarik Danielsen, who said, in a 7/10 review, "...he’s no Dylan or Lennon, but he does capture the spirit of a generation attracted to the hopeful promise they witnessed in the Obama candidacy."[6]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Brett Dennen. 

No. Title Length
1. "San Francisco"   3:52
2. "Make You Crazy" (featuring Femi Kuti) 3:38
3. "Heaven"   4:03
4. "Closer to You"   3:38
5. "Wrong About Me"   4:32
6. "So Far from Me"   4:08
7. "When She's Gone"   3:40
8. "World Keeps Turning"   3:01
9. "Who Do You Think You Are?"   4:07
10. "Follow Your Heart"   3:11
11. "Ain't Gonna Lose You"   4:51
Total length:
 42:41

Personnel

The following people contributed to Hope for the Hopeless.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Hope for the Hopeless: Brett Dennen: Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/23459793/review/23589170/hope_for_the_hopeless. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  2. ^ "Hope for the Hopeless: Chart and Awards". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1426491/charts-awards. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  3. ^ "Make You Crazy by Brett Dennen Songfacts". Songfacts. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=12960. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  4. ^ "Brett Dennen to Duet With Natalie Merchant". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/album/brett-dennen/hope-for-the-hopeless/1177046#/features/brett-dennen-to-duet-with-natalie-merchant-1004006106.story. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  5. ^ "Hope for the Hopeless reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/dennenbrett/hopeforthehopeless?part=rss. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  6. ^ "Brett Dennen: Hope for the Hopeless: Review". Popmatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/67129-brett-dennen-hope-for-the-hopeless/. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  7. ^ "Hope for the Hopeless Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1426491/credits. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
Brett Dennen
Albums
Brett Dennen (2004) • So Much More (2006) • Hope for the Hopeless (2008) • Loverboy (2011)
EPs
Peace (2006) • (More) So Much More (2007) • Live Sessions (iTunes Exclusive) (2009)
Singles
So Much More
"Ain't No Reason" • "She's Mine" • "Darlin' Do Not Fear"
Hope for the Hopeless
"Make You Crazy"
Other articles
Discography