On "Jerusalem," the tune that kicked off singer/songwriter Dan Bern's self-titled début, he proclaimed himself "the Messiah everybody has been waiting for." On Fifty Eggs, Bern's second blast of inspired music making, he starts off telling us: "I've got big balls, big as grapefruits, big as pumpkins ..." It's another daring conceit, but before the album is over, you'll have to agree. It takes a lot of chutzpah to cram 50 years' worth of pop music - folk, pop, blues, doo-wop, new wave, punk - into a blender and pour out 13 satisfying tunes, but that's what Bern does. Producer Ani DiFranco adds her vocals, intense guitar work, and studio savvy, making Fifty Eggs even more diverse than Dan Bern.
Critics are calling Bern the "new Dylan," a sobriquet that has destroyed many careers. But if Fifty Eggs is any indication, he can carry the weight. His lack of artifice and compassionate heart mark him as a powerful new voice.
STREET CRED
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