Dan Israel

dan israel
crosstown traveler
(Dan Israel)
Minneapolis singer/songwriter Israel has toiled under the radar for 20 years and 11 LPs. Hard to say if Crosstown will change anything, but success isn’t the point. Israel’s melodic, plainspoken roots rock deals honestly with real people’s problems—stardom isn’t remotely important. “No Closer to Home” finds the protagonist pondering the turns his life took as he endures a long commute. The bluesy “Only See Red” finds the daily frustrations threatening to boil over. “I’d Never Make It Through” pays tribute to the unconditional love of a child, and the catchy “Up to You” reminds us who rules our destinies. No pessimism or optimism here, really; just life as it’s lived, charged by the certainty that it’s enough. (danisraelmusic.com)
- The Big Takeover - Oct. 2011 issue

Dan Israel
Dan Who?
Review by Dan Moser

OK, so this takes a little nerve: Dan Israel, leader of the Minneapolis-based Cultivators, who have put out a couple of fine but hardly artistically or commercially groundbreaking records, decides to issue one of those just-a-guy-and-his-acoustic-guitar solo albums full of songs that are, you know, too “personal” for a full-band approach. Like he’s Bruce Springsteen or somethin’.

And then you listen and think, “Damn, what a record!” — in fact, perhaps the most surprising, and welcome, singer-songwriter find since Tim Easton’s Special 20. Particularly in its first half or so, Dan Who? has an unremittingly weary tone, the song titles saying it all: “Last Words”, “Worn Down By The Chase”, “Lingering Questions”, “Waiting So Long” and “Overloaded” among them. “You’re heading north with your luck heading south,” from “Lingering Questions”, pretty much sums things up.

Not that Israel is all sad sack. “Overloaded” is full of gallows humor: “Take me in your arms, I’ll put down the knife/I can’t write a love song to save my life/If I considered suicide/I’d probably be outvoted/I’m feeling just a little overloaded.”

Israel’s mood lightens slightly as the album wears on, which is probably a good thing. On “Looking Out For Me”, he waxes sentimental about a big brother, and the even more starkly personal “Tears Of Joy” is, of all things, an apology to his parents for being such a pain in the ass.

- No Depression magazine

Dan Israel
Time I Get Home (Eclectone)
By Luke Torn

Dan Israel’s sixth album reflects the plight of the lone ranger singer-songwriter these days. A homemade basement job cut with just a smidge of outside keyboard and percussion help, it’s insular, ardently wistful, and in its own way, bitterly uncompromising.

Flitting from downcast soul-searching balladry to mercurial folk-rock, it’s less a radical departure than a fitful melding of Israel’s power-pop tendencies (see 2003’s Love Ain’t A Cliché) to the acidic, starkly personal material best represented by 2000’s great (and largely unnoticed) Dan Who?

Israel’s best at the kind of internal conversations that torment every starving artist: “Where you ever gonna go, when will you reach the bottom,” ponders one song; “I never meant to be a bully, still it’s pretty hard these days to stay alive,” goes the title cut.

While the hangdog acoustic songs are affecting, they can start to blur; when Israel provides a bit more musical color, as on the withering “All The Phonies” and the barbed sentiments on loneliness and existentialism of the driving rocker “Somebody Better”, the record springs to life and escapes its monochromatic setting.

Time I Get Home is no stylistic or thematic groundbreaker, but Israel remains a true believer, a dedicated craftsman giving voice to the kind of universal sentiments most of us keep under our hats.

- No Depression magazine

"Writing and performing great songs for the last 15 years, Dan Israel is easily one of the Twin Cities’ un-anointed poet laureates, steadfastly making his way into the ranks of local singer/songwriter legends like Paul Westerberg. Whether it’s with a full band or as a solo act, his work contains elements of intimacy and, as he again demonstrates on his new release, “Crosstown Traveler,” an engaging simplicity that makes his deep music accessible to any audience. His performances showcase these same qualities."

- Minneapolis - St. Paul magazine

Dan Israel
Crosstown Traveler
(independent)



Dan Israel blurs that fine line between folk and Americana, and pulls it off with an admirable aplomb. With his woozy vocals and affirmative stance, he offers an upbeat sound that easily ingratiates itself and keeps its listeners coming back for more. Crosstown Traveler is certainly no exception, and on offerings such as “I’ll Never Make It Through,” “Up To You” and “”Never To Be Found,” Israel conveys a clear theme of optimism and encouragement, lessons in self-help instilled in song. Fortunately, the melodies keep pace with the message, and the outpouring of exuberance and enthusiasm makes a powerful first impression. The rousing “When the Day Is Done” is an obvious standout, but even the more subdued set-ups – be it the gritty delivery of “Only See Red” or the subtle, string-laden gaze of “This Love’s Gonna Stay” – resonate with a powerful tug on emotion. Israel is an exceptional singer/songwriter, and deserves ample attention. For those intrigued, Crosstown Traveler makes for a damn good place to start.



- NoDepression.com

Dan Israel, Turning - 4 Stars
Ninth outing for self-effacing Minnesota rocker

Seven years ago, Midwestern rocker Dan Israel took stock of his relative obscurity, stripped his sound down to a lone guitar, and released Dan Who?, a withering examination of the troubadour's life in a hollow age. The world-weariest songs on Turning - the bluesy "Just Don't Know," the title cut - continue to prick at the emotions and insecurities of the strive-a-day life with a graceful, eloquent brand of everyman's poetry, but when Israel blends those concerns with an innate pop sense worthy of Petty or Westerberg, as on "News to Me" or the driving chug of "Counting on You," he dazzles. - Luke Torn and others