Glen Hansard - Didn't He Ramble

Glen Hansard
Didn't He Ramble
2015
Glen Hansard - Didn't He Ramble

When people think of Glen Hansard they often go straight to his Academy Award winning song and movie "Once". What most people don't know is the decade Hansard spent touring and wrtiing music with groups like The Frames and The Swell Season. Hansard has at some point or another been one of the major contributors to the direction of folk music. This new album Didn't He Ramble is a continuation of that journey and adds 10 new excellent tracks to his already stellar repertoire. If being Irish is always wrought with pain then Glen Hansard is the siren for that struggle. This album however is less lamenting and more looking back fondly on both his life and the people he surrounds himself with. "Winning Streak" comes across as a prayer for his friends and the hope that the good days will not come to an end. The music has a distinctively light touch which gives a nice backing for his voice to dance around. As is the case in much of folk music the words mean much more than anything else and that is absolutely the case with Didn't He Ramble.

The album however can come across as a bit repetitive, as each song seems to follow the same pattern is there really is not a change in tone of pace. If you like one track on this record you are likely to like them all but straight in a row it can get a bit boring. In cases like this you are usually looking for an underlying story or something to get your interest if the music is not going to do it, but you don't really find it here. One thing that Hansard does really well is put you in the exact headspace that He was experiencing when writing the song. He has that transportation ability, but not in location or vibe, but instead in overall feeling. Didn't He Ramble is a really well done folk album, though it is not without it's faults. Take a listen, see what you think.

7.2 out of 10