Fifty Eggs
Dan Bern
The Work Group, 1998
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/20/1998
It's not often I get excited about an artist just by reading
their bio. To be honest, I try not to put too much faith in
materials that are included with some of the review copies of discs
I get in the mail. But Dan Bern was different - here was someone
that was portrayed as outspoken, irreverent, and provocative - not
to mention having a great introspective view in his songs.
No sooner had I read his bio that I found myself tugging at the
shrinkwrap on his latest release
Fifty Eggs. I had to hear for myself if all of this was true
- if it was, he was a musician after my own heart. And while the
buildup is a tad strong - he's not as outrageous as I would have
expected - Bern definitely is the Loudon Wainwright III of
Generation X, and deserves your attention.
Produced by alternative
chanteuse Ani DiFranco, Bern makes the most of his talents,
though it takes a song or two to get used to his style of singing.
Once you've digested "Tiger Woods" (a song that has little to do
with the golfer), the rest is easy. Even "Tiger Woods" isn't a bad
track, one in which Bern claims "It ain't braggin' if it's
true."
The outrageousness comes when Bern dares to compare historical
stalwarts with the rest of us who are looking for a purpose in life
in the song "One Thing Real". But far from being blasphemous, it
reminds us that we're all basically in the same search for what
makes us complete.
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