Singer-songwriter Klein is a winner

Everybody Loves a Winner

Jeff Klein

One Little Indian Records

Recommended…

Everybody Loves a Winner

Jeff Klein

One Little Indian Records

Recommended if you like: Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams

On his beautiful, lyrics-driven album Everybody Loves a Winner, Jeff Klein tackles subjects not unfamiliar to ordinary people – hopes, dreams, love and loss. These may be common themes in the world of music, but Klein, with his scratchy voice and few instruments, makes it his mission to evoke strong emotions from every listener.

“I’m Sorry Sweet Emily” is an apology a man makes for abandoning his lover when he feels he can’t contribute anything more to their relationship. He writes eloquently, saying, “I’ve got a hunger as big as my eyes/And a promise that I’ll never keep/I know I shouldn’t be out here/Cause no one loves you more than me/But I don’t think I’m coming home tonight/I’m sorry sweet Emily.”

“California” is Klein’s tongue-in-cheek nod to the excess and glamour that pour forth from Hollywood and Los Angeles. It begins with a heavy electric guitar riff, a stark contrast to most of the other songs on the album, which have quiet, unassuming openings, and the lyrics open with “There’s a buzz hanging over my head/From my broken neon halo/Like a movie that I slept through/I just don’t get the point.” Patty Griffin joins him on the chorus, singing “But if I get to California/Before I lose my mind/I’ll lay my burden on you/For one last time.”

Klein is a dead ringer for Bruce Springsteen on “Another Breakdown,” a song searching for meaning in a monotonous life. He is examining the life he leads in lyrics such as “And me, myself I’m arrogant/But I’ll always admit it/Cause it’s the one last thing that I/Can hold onto anymore/And I’ve been waiting patiently behind/Yeah another breakdown/Yeah I wish they’d come put me away.”

On the softly melodic “Five Good Reasons,” Klein is trying to find his own voice in the world, expressing emotions typical of late adolescence and early adulthood, singing “I’ve got five good reasons why I never sleep at home/And I’ve got four more people telling me I am wrong/And I’ve got three more wishes, God I wish that I was gone/I’ve got two more fears left and I fear that I am one.”

Jeff Klein is undoubtedly a very talented singer and songwriter. Everybody Loves a Winner will envelop you in emotions and perhaps force you to dig a little deeper when contemplating the essential issues of love, loss, hopes and dreams.