When one first sees Brett Dennen and then listens to him sing, one hardly expects such a voice to come from such a body.

But it soon becomes clear that he makes this a non-issue.

Artists such as John Mayer and Jason Mraz have compared Dennen to jazz great Nina Simone and he recently earned a spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s “10 Artists To Watch” list.

Though he has remained mostly under the mainstream radar since his self-titled debut CD in 2004, Dennen is an artist who draws from many sensitive singer-songwriters of the day.

It seems only right that he finally makes his mark on the industry with Hope For The Hopeless, which debuts Oct. 21.

The album’s sound is both easily recognizable, and yet completely different. It’s a unique trait that’s sure to put Dennen on the map.

Dennen has probably grown weary of comparisons to Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson. Truth be told, on most of the songs, he sounds nothing like them.

His voice is much better than Matthews’ and his music far more adventurous than that of Johnson.

Dennen has the ability to create melodies that complement his voice perfectly and clearly distinguish him from any similar artist he might be compared to.

The vocal chorus on his first single “Make Me Crazy” is one of the more infectious little ditties you’re likely to hear in a while.

The articulation of his voice, the simplicity of piano chords, the acoustic guitars and the occasional organ bits are what really help Dennen play to his strengths.

The songs don’t bombard the listener with wave after wave of instrumental flourishes that give one the feeling of a hippie revival.

In particular, the track “Who Do You Think You Are” presents nothing extraordinary, yet you may just find yourself bobbing your head along to the straight up delivery of crisp drums, minimal bluesy guitar licks and solid vocals, all packaged together for an absolute gem of a song.

Where Hope For The Hopeless stumbles is repetition.

There are far too many mid-tempo acoustic jam band sentimental tunes, several of which fail to produce a memorable moment. On these songs, Dennen manages to make his biggest asset, his voice, almost redundant.

Thankfully, Brett Dennen knows how to make his good moments shine.

Should Dennen continue his winning formula, while still refining his songwriting diversity, he could easily stand among such singing, guitar-playing, songwriting giants as Mayer, Johnson, and Matthews and really make a name for himself.

For now, Hope For The Hopeless is one big step in the right direction.