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Across his career, Brett Dennen has established himself as the kind of singer-songwriter who finds inspiration by digging into the nooks and crannies of the human condition—exploring pain, joy, sadness, and all points in between.
If It Takes Forever (Mick Music), the California native’s eighth solo album and first full-length since 2021’s See the World, is no exception. The warm, immersive collection boasts deeply felt sentiments, underpinned by rich acoustic guitars and Dennen’s earnest vocals, in the vein of dusky Americana ("Golden State of Mind"), harmonica-driven blues (the Tom Petty-esque "Careful What You Wish For"), rootsy indie ("Don’t Go Talking"), and meditative folk-rock (highlight "Time To Wake Up").
If It Takes Forever emerged out of a tough 2023 for Dennen, as he was dealing with the death of his dad. "He was such a strong figure in my life that I depended on so much as both a dad and a best friend," he said. "And I knew immediately in order for me to deal with his death, the best thing I could do was to make an album about it."
Dennen took his time coming up with song ideas, spending much of a year thinking about "what kind of album I was going to make and what kinds of songs were going to be on the album." He jotted down ideas on paper, made voice memos with melodies and choruses, or sometimes just talked into a voice recorder. When he hunkered down in late 2023, "Making them a reality all happened very fast," he says. "These songs were in my head and came out when I had the guitar in my hand. I would record one, put it away and then come back a few days or a few weeks later and listen to it: 'Okay, I think that's done. That's good enough. Move on, move on, move on.'"
Some songs are directly about his dad, while others tackle the new reality he faced and broader philosophical questions: "What is life? What does it mean? What's it all about?" This produced lyrics full of vibrant imagery and multiple layers of meaning.
Among his favorite songs is the gentle, folksy "In the Garden," indirectly inspired by his parents and the vegetable garden they tended. "I don't necessarily think it's a song about my dad—or a song about him speaking to my mom, per se—but I think it's a song about love and putting your intention into something," Dennen explains. "Metaphorically, it’s about taking care of something and creating something beautiful, but it’s also a literal place for beautiful things to grow, and a calm place to find solace in."
"Wood Canoe" is a narrative-driven story about a humble man who builds a canoe out of wood, lyrics speaking to the idea of metaphorically taking somebody away to a better place: "It feels like a Cat Stevens song and has a little bit of Latin rhythm to it." He also cites "Another Day in Babylon" for its rumbling groove and literal basis in things that happened in his life. The opening track "Chipping Away" touches on resilience and persevering when things aren't falling into place: "There's so many things I want to do and so many things I haven't done—and I'm the one holding myself back from doing those things," he explains.
Dennen recorded If It Takes Forever quickly, "in a whirlwind five days" in Los Angeles with musicians from his live band and producer Jon Solo. The full-band configuration gave the album immediacy and depth: organ courses through "Dharma Baby" while plaintive piano adds melancholy to "Star Surfer." He says the sessions felt collaborative: "It wasn't me or the producer saying, 'I want you to do this. I was hoping you would do this.' It wasn't like 'This is Brett’s album'—it was like, let's just make this music the best that the four of us can make it." Dennen notes he prefers recording live with a band, and that the bond formed on the road made the process especially seamless.
Since debuting in 2004 with a self-titled album, Dennen has built a loyal fanbase through steady touring, including alongside John Mayer, Jason Mraz and G Love and Special Sauce, and through song placements in the TV show Parenthood. Another tune, "Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)," became the theme song for the TV adaptation About A Boy. He has also had multiple top 10 hits on the AAA radio charts, with the title track of See the World reaching No. 4 in 2021.
With If It Takes Forever, Dennen plans to hit the road once again and brings additional perspective on—and gratitude for—the solace provided by art and music. "To really boil it down, this is life," he says. "Life is full of things that get complicated and make you busy, and are really hard to deal with. But if you write songs about it, and put it into art, then it makes it a lot more relevant and meaningful and worthy of celebration."