Brendan Benson Reformulates Classic Rock With Contemporary Sensibilities on ‘Dear Life’

Adi Mehta

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brendan Benson released his debut solo album “One Mississippi” back in 1996 to little notice. By the time of his followup, 2002’s” Lapalco,” however, the White Stripes had taken it upon themselves to cover his song “Good to Me.” In a few years, he was a member of Jack White’s band, the Raconteurs, playing guitar and contributing vocals. Brenson has grown increasingly prolific, releasing three records with that outfit, and now his seventh solo effort, “Dear Life.” The new set of songs sounds like the work of a seasoned rocker with a rich lexicon of classic signifiers and a finger on the contemporary pulse.  

“I Can If You Want Me To” begins with Brenson singing over warbled, gurgling, pitch-altered vocals, before the band crashes in full-force and thunderous. Then the process repeats with overdubbed vocal lines dancing every which way. When the band launches in again, it’s with a surfeit of clangy clatter, and it all erupts into a raging riot. This is classic rock reformulated for 2020, with all elements streamlined and amplified for maximum effect. It would be ideal for a theatrical trailer. “Good to Be Alive,” the single and a definite standout, slows down and opens out to reflective musings like “I don’t believe in heaven and hell… It’s just me as far as I can tell.” Then there’s a radical shift midway. The beat speeds up, synth bass comes in, and Brenson’s vocals stutter in an unanticipated bubblegum synthpop excursion. The two warring sides seem to meet halfway by the end, with Brenson gleefully bleating the titular phrase. “Half a Boy (Half a Man),” written after having children which made Brenson realize his own mortality, starts a stretch of songs with more dad rock tendencies. It’s a catchy number with immediately mobilizing riffage, infectious vocal harmonies, and a soaring chorus in which Brenson randomly sounds a bit like Ozzy Osbourne. 

“Richest Man”” is an upbeat number in every way possible, with lyrics like “I’ve got two beautiful babies / One hell of a good looking wife,” building up to an affirmation of “I feel like the richest man alive,” no irony detectable, repeated with mountaintop zeal atop busy strumming and studio-happy touches like a vocal stutter here and a gratuitous guitar fill there. If you can stomach this much unabashed positivity in a rock ‘n’ roll song, then this is for you. “Dear Life” continues in the same vein, but it’s a bit more readily palatable. Brenson is so well-versed in classic rock traditions that they just emanate from him, and in this song, he goes from one hook to the next, hitting the right chords and bending the right notes, in a way that lets you mine cliches for their magic. His sing-song-ey voice and the gossy production gives a sound somehow at once late ‘70s and right now.

Coming just two tracks after “Richest Man, “Baby’s Eyes” finds Brenson getting more cheery yet. It’s a jaunty number, full of glowing horns and gleeful vocal harmonies. Then comes “Freak Out,” a more jagged and adventurous cut. The band is in full concert here, raging on in a reckless stomp, with Sabbath-esque riffs and solo passages, crashing drums, organs, and a chorus of “I can freak out if I wanna,” admittedly written after a bad acid trip. This segues neatly into “Evil Eyes,” a track on which instincts shown throughout all seem to click. Full of colorful dynamics, searing guitars in raw, gritty outpourings, and the band raging impeccably tightly, it taps into a certain kaleidoscopic groove, held back only by Brenson’s rather flat vocals, which can be a bit silly, as on his opening “da da das,” and insufferable as on one egregious, grand, falsetto shriek.

“I’m in Love” is a readymade, no nonsense rocker, grittier and heavier than most other tracks. The whole band follows a driving guitar riff, and Brenson feeds off the energy effortlessly, letting out variations of the titular line with a reckless vocal passion worlds away from the tepid see-sawing of other tracks. “I Quit” is a catchy tune, perhaps a bit too much so, with a four chord organ refrain that rings incessantly to a somewhat grating end. In this case, Brensons singsong tendencies serve him well, effectively capturing the sentiment at hand, as he runs through an ultimatum, climaxing with “Then I Quit,” then reveling in taunting “Na na nas.” Then comes “Who’s Gonna Love You?,” which switches up the sonic palette with a pitched-up vocal sample. It’s an ideal closer, with all of the elements in place. The band settle into a tight groove, and dart around in reverie, with intricate piano passages, eerie organ, and a refrain of “It’s easier to give up / Than it is to live up,” fit to a tune as conclusive as the underlying sentiment. 

It makes perfect sense that Brendan Brenson is a member of one of Jack White’s innumerable bands, as Brenson seems like the type to eat, breathe, and sleep rock ‘n’ roll. One has to appreciate his ability to effortlessly chime in at any given time with a guitar lick or a howl that references something classic. He assembles all these references into readymade tunes that strike with immediate pop punch, and peppers in some contemporary trends for good measure. The almost gloating positivity of some songs can be a bit hard to take, although it might just as well be refreshing for those tired of standard rock doom and gloom. The songs can feel quite overproduced, occasionally crammed with unnecessary distractions. Overall, however, “Dear Life” is a consistently hard rocking record that succeeds in everything it sets out to accomplish.

“Dear Life” is available April 24 on Apple Music.