Traditionally, we’ve slotted Dennis Brennan in our “roots” category — “singer-songwriter” generally being code for folk music. But a year ago, in a two-night record release party for his Hi-N-Dry disc Engagement at the Lizard Lounge, Brennan proved himself to be a folk singer in another sense of the word — the troubadour, sharing the story-songs of his travels. And his grasp of songs and songwriting proved encyclopedic. There was rock, soul, folk, Great American Songbook standards. He played and sang his own shoulda-been and new classics (“Delmore Schwartz” and “After the Ball” from Engagement), Gil Scott-Heron’s “Lady Day and John Coltrane,” Morphine’s “Thursday.” And he conjured Mose Allison with “Fool’s Paradise” and Chet Baker with “That Old Feeling,” then a hellacious rip through the ancient Don & Dewey rocker “Justine” (with son Jake joining in). When Brennan is on (and that’s most of the time), he’s Dan Penn, Tom Waits, and Peter Wolf rolled into one — the songwriting, the showmanship, the beat-rocker intensity. Not a bad deal for the Lizard Lounge on a Wednesday night.
— Jon Garelick
LISTEN: Dennis Brennan, "Sugar Falls" (mp3)
Runners-up
1. Antje Duvekot
2. Mike Fiore
3. Marissa Nadler