page_title: Brett Dennen
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Brett Dennen / Career
caption_attribution_description: Brett Dennen at Newport Folk Festival 2009
context_page_description: Brett Michael Dennen is an American folk/pop singer and songwriter from Central California. His sixth studio album, Por Favor, was released in May 2016.
context_section_description: Dennen has been a part of The Mosaic Project, a San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit organization, since its inception.
  In 2004,  Dennen released his debut, self-titled album, Brett Dennen on an indie label, Three Angels and A Saint Records, produced by Dennen & Leslie Merical. Dennen eventually signed a record deal with Dualtone Records.
  His second album, So Much More, includes the singles "Ain't No Reason", "She's Mine" and "Darlin' Do Not Fear".
  Dennen also contributed a cover of "Private Life" to the 2006 tribute album Drink To Bones That Turn To Dust: A Toast To Oingo Boingo.
  In an interview with American Songwriter magazine, Dennen acknowledged Paul Simon's significant influence on his music as well as commenting that Paul Simon's Graceland was one of his favorite albums.
  Dennen opened for John Mayer on his tour in 2008.
  In 2008, "Darlin' Do Not Fear," from So Much More, was featured in the award-winning independent film Sherman's Way.
  Dennen was named by Rolling Stone magazine as an "Artist to Watch," and in 2008, Entertainment Weekly called him one of its eight "Guys on the Rise".
  In 2008, Dennen, along with Jason Mraz, contributed the song "Long Road to Forgiveness" to the Survival International charity album Songs for Survival. Earlier in the fall, Dennen toured Australia with Pete Murray.  In late October, Hope for the Hopeless, Dennen's third album, was released. The song "Ain't Gonna Lose You" was featured on Grey's Anatomy and topped the iTunes folk charts. The record reached #6 on the digital charts, and was followed by a successful mini-tour.
  On August 1, 2009, Dennen performed at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.
  On October 9, 2009, Dennen appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.
  In 2010, Dennen played at the Oulipo Ballroom in Kentucky. He played a mixture of Paul Simon covers along with unreleased tracks from his upcoming album. His fourth album, Loverboy, was released on April 12, 2011. In 2009, Dennen's song "She's Mine" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie According to Greta; in 2010, Dennen's song "Darlin' Do Not Fear" was featured on the soundtrack for the TV show Parenthood.
  Dennen's fifth album, Smoke and Mirrors was released on October 22, 2013, along with its first single, "Wild Child." On October 24, "Sweet Persuasion" was featured on the TV show Parenthood.
  "Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)" is the theme song on the NBC comedy About A Boy. The song was also used in the series finale of Wizards of Waverly Place.
  On March 13, 2014, he appeared on episode 67 of Live From Daryl's House, performing "Only Want You", "Wild Child", "Right As Rain", "When We Were Young", "What's Gunna Happen To Us", and "Don't Mess With Karma" with Daryl Hall and his house band.
  In 2016, Dennen released his sixth studio album, Por Favor.
  In January 2018, Dennen released a new single, "Already Gone."  That same year, he released two EPs "simply to change it up." The EP Here's Looking At You Kid?, a song that he says is about "life," was originally inspired by his loyal fans over the years, but began to include his personal speculation about what fatherhood might be like.
caption: Dennen at Newport Folk Festival 2009
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