Dan Imhoff-- Gratitude   (click on image to watch )

 25 September 2022

If the title of Dan Imhoff’s new LP seems to hint at some sense of reflection and fulfillment, it’s obviously no accident. Imhoff’s upbeat attitude is evident at the outset, courtesy of the title tune, which proceeds to shine a light on a generally sunny set of circumstance. Imhoff, is certainly adept at being expressive; in addition to making music, he’s an author, activist and podcaster with a decided world view.

Gratitude, Imhoff’s fifth solo album, was recorded in Valencia and Gerona, Spain late last year utilizing the help of some local musicians. Although the songs were written during lockdown, they reflect a personal perspective that shares both optimism and endurance in equal measure. The seductive sway that underscores “Gratitude” (“I want to move to the great state of gratitude?) and the earnest approach of “When A Great Tree Falls” (“Will we be strong enough to fight for what we believe?”) and the somewhat subdued “There There” (“Gotta find a way to keep believing”) demonstrate Imhoff’s effusive intent and a decided optimism that still prevails in the face of difficulties and despair.

So too, with “Coming Into View” Imhoff puts it all into perspective. “Love is the only game,” he insists.

The jaunty “So Good To Be a Dog” expresses the pleasure of shedding one’s cares and simply finding a fit through innocence, loyalty and the acceptance of whatever gifts life has to offer. We should all be so carefree, the song suggests. The casual caress of “Why I Drink the Wine” echoes the same sentiments.

Nevertheless, that unerring insistence is upended at times. “Dark Side,” as its title implies, deals with more somber circumstance, given a feeling of pervasive pessimism. “I still try to convince myself I get what I need,” the singer moans, expressing the hopelessness that keeps him confined to his bed while finding cause to carry on. It’s a feeling of futility common to many these days, and Imhoff expresses it with a similar sense of sadness and frustration. “Crazy Town” has him falling prey to the same sort of anguish and anxiety

Happily, the mood is quickly lifted. “Lie Down With the Wild Things” suggests that it’s time to get back to nature and

 celebrate those things that make life worth living. “Accidentally Valencia” celebrates the peaceful environs he calls home, while the easy, breezy “Factory of Tangled Dreams” is all about sedate contemplation. Happily too, with its concluding track, “Angel Touching Down,” his hope finds fruition in the realization that patience and perseverance do have their rewards.

Ultimately then, Gratitude offers an antidote for these troubled times and reason to believe that better days lie beyond the horizon, if only we’re willing to make the mental effort to get there. And in that sense, Imhoff prompts a full measure of gratitude indeed.

Lee Zimmerman

To Read All of Lee's Reviews, Click Here

fShare

Tweet