Fifty Eggs Iowa

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.