Woke Up This Morning: war and peace with Dan Manjovi

by Lorette C. Luzajic

Dan Manjovi

Woke Up This Morning

Official Site:  http://www.danmanjovi.com/

Official MySpace:  http://www.myspace.com/danmanjovi

Who says electronica killed the piano and guitar? Instrument appreciation is alive and well in Dan Manjovi’s New York City, where the singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist regularly draws standing-room only crowds. It is indeed refreshing to hear a saxophone (Lily White?) and the funky, spirited piano prowess of Manjovi. But without intending any disrespect to a dedicated artist, I couldn’t find the evidence of the great vocal chops and infectious voice I was promised by his followers. The ten tracks on Woke Up This Morning certainly appealed to the ex-hippie post-hipster in me, but making too much of Dan’s average vocal ability detracts from the soulful command he has of his guitar and keyboard.

Clearly, Dan’s not at all comfortable in the post-millennial culture and his lyrics in songs like “Celebrity,” “Forgotten How to Dream”, and “I Fall Down” express disdain. Disdain for celebrities (“famous for nothing at all’), for the ‘ego inflated wanna-be,” and the “gilded affluence” of flat-screened televisions. Apparently, the Blackberry is responsible for diverting our attention from the homeless. While I probably lean so far left I’m likely to topple over, I’m one of Dan’s guilty busily sipping chardonnay. You know, I’m tired of being told to give up my Blackberry (ha! I don’t have one) as a solution to the woes of this world. I’m also tired of the war, but don’t see the connection, personally. I’d love it if Dan would write something telling us how we can help, instead of just lamenting our national demise into the mire of techno-celeb culture.

It’s hard for me to pair this well-meaning protest songster with the tinsel disco grandiosity of Donna Summer, whom he’s played backup for. Rather, I can hear echoes of the Eagles, Steely Dan, or some funky old jazz. At the best of times, there’s a feeling of Cat Stevens, but none of the emotive richness that set Cat’s folk apart. All in all, though, I’d have to support anyone who speaks against war. It’s going to take a lot more than a daisy folk-festival flashback to change the world, but at least somebody still gives a damn.

* * *

Lorette C. Luzajic is a Toronto writer and artist, the girl behind thegirlcanwrite.net. A journalism grad, she has published hundreds of poems, and her reviews, profiles, columns, and features have appeared everywhere from Adbusters to Dog Fancy. Her favourite thing in the world is getting to know interesting people, so she started a project called Fascinating People: gossip for smart people at www.fascinatingpeople.wordpress.com. She writes Fascinating Writers for Bookslut.com. She is also The Spice Girl at Gremolata.com, a foodie’s paradise. Lorette’s first book was The Astronaut’s Wife: Poems of Eros and Thanatos. Her second, Weird Monologues for a Rainy Life, is also available, and her third, Dendrite Pandemonium will be released later this year. Lorette lives in her library with her cats.

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