There are those who would contend that all of Glen Hansard’s musical accomplishments have been cut and tailored from the same bolt of sturdy Irish cloth, but that line of thinking would blithely ignore a good deal of distinct nuance and texture that Hansard brings to his individual projects. For anyone who would like to experience all of Hansard’s estimable gifts in a single listening session, he has thoughtfully provided a compendium of his patented brilliance on Didn’t He Ramble.
Although parts of Ramble live up to the traditional folk mood suggested by its title, Hansard packs the album with enough atmospherics to warrant a nod to Brian Eno (“Grace”), and enough horn-drenched Irish soul to bring a homeland pub to its rowdy feet at closing time (“Lowly Deserter”). Ramble’s first single, “Winning Streak,” strolls along the pleasant trail blazed by Bob Dylan in the service of lyrics that sound as if they were pulled from an Irish prayer book; “Her Mercy” storms in on a glorious Van Morrison-in-gospel-mode wave; and “Just Had To Be The One” pulses with a quiet jazz bloodbuzz and swells with a poppish authority that would make Lee Hazlewood smile.
As usual, every note and syllable on Didn’t He Ramble is indelibly inked with Hansard’s unique musical identity, evidence that the more musical references he accesses, the more he emerges sounding exactly like the folk-and-beyond genius he has presented for the past two and a half decades.
—Brian Baker
