Destination Anywhere

Album review

If one were to strip Bob Dylan's 1966 classic Blonde on Blonde of its beautiful and surreal rants about relationships, the result would be Brenda Kahn's Destination Anywhere. In "Spoon," the narrator's boyfriend is addicted to drugs, while in "Yellow Sun," the female protagonist is a "walking hit and run." Kahn seems to feel that relationships are hopeless, but simultaneously feels the need for them. "Lie" and "Omaha" best represent this ambivalence, and the tone of the music is equally angry. In "Night," Kahn approaches the poetic level of Patti Smith, spitting out words describing the pain of a middle-aged waitress. On the near-lullaby "Faith Salons," her best poetic moment is matched by great backup singing and guitar work by Jeff Buckley (in one of the last released performances of his prior to his tragic death in 1997). The bitter tone of the album might not settle well with some listeners, but the steady intensity of the music and Brenda Kahn's great vocal delivery make this album a minor masterpiece.
© Brian Flota /TiVo