I’d just about given up on an unnamed pr company (Special Ops Media) when for some reason one of the dozens of emails they’ve sent out this week caught my eye. Do high profile pr companies take on pro-bono work just to make themselves feel better? Perhaps a project like this gets some of the bad taste out of their collective mouths (stuff like Queensryche, Meatloaf and others). Anyway this particular email was about 37 year old Oh Boy recording artist Dan Reeder. He’s got no schtick, no career high (or low) points, no nothing except his homemade guitars, humble demeanor, raspy vocals, cynical observations and poignant songs. In other words not a chance in hell of succeeding on any meaningful level.
It figures this record, Sweetheart, would come out on John Prine’s label as Dan Reeder has a similar delivery although he sounds most like Vince. The song title “I Drink Beer” is deceiving as it’s not a fun little upbeat novelty song, more of dirge really or something you’d hear at a wake. It plods along at a very slow pace and it’s lyrics give a myriad of reasons why three lonely guys drink bear. The only upbeat moment comes when a small, tired horn section enters at about the halfway point. Sounds like I hate it but just the obvious. Its’ ambiguous, counterintuitive messages are refreshing and a little mysterious. Buy Sweetheart here now.