The man who onceproclaimed "I am the messiah" and wanted balls as big as the swing ofTiger Woods has toned down his smart ass antics only slightly and hasaccomplished his most mature effort to date. Bern has also turned upthe backing band, making for a fiery and aggressive electric sound notheard quite to this level on previous releases. Mostly, Bern workedbest when it was just him and a guitar, playing magical songs of humanrelationships. This time, every arrangement shows a new strength, fromemotionally touching lyric writing on "God Said No" to fun hooting andhollering on "Alaska Highway." The title track is pure, perfect DanBern, as he has yet another conversation with someone who simply cannotaccept his position: "She said 'love, love, love is everything'/I said'ok, I guess, whatever'/She said 'what does that mean?'/I said 'nothin'it's just good to have a backup plan.'" And though not as blatantlyrandom as Wesley Willis, Bern does like to riff on popular icons, wherehere he name checks Rae Dawn Chong, Leo DiCaprio, Britney Spears andKeith Richards, all in the same song. Elsewhere, on "Tape," forinstance, his riffing hits real close to home, displaying tremendousgrowth in Bern's knack for social commentary. I miss the more quirkymoments, but if this is a hint of where Dan Bern is eventually going,I'll join him on the whole journey.
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