photo by Erica Miller; photo courtesy of Dan Berggren

Single Review of Dan Berggren: “The Good Fight”

I wandered down a musical rabbit-hole a few weeks ago, and I stumbled upon this cool recent (March) release from Dan Berggren, “The Good Fight.” Berggren has been writing, performing, and recording music for decades and has a great deal of music available online at his website, via Bandcamp, via Soundcloud, and elsewhere. I’m completely unfamiliar with the rest of his catalog, but there’s an impressive collection to explore whenever I’m so inspired in the future.

image courtesy of Dan Berggren

This song, “The Good Fight,” benefits from Berggren’s light picking style a warmth that’s almost certainly as due attention to detail when recording as it is to his also-quite-rich vocals. Since only Dan is listed in the credits, I presume he’s harmonizing with himself in a few well-placed spots thanks to the magic of a recording studio. In other words, the song is enhanced by Berggren’s arrangement and recording choices.

The delivery style is that of a folk storyteller, beginning with “There’s a family down the street, trying to get back on their feet…” Berggren weaves tales of neighbors in need of help in a style that’s meant to urge listeners to “fight the good fight” and help their neighbors. It’s a song about being civic-minded, though the next verse, beginning “Our library in town looks like it my be closing down. Who will fight the good fight? ‘Cause a handful of folks act like freedom is a joke…” hints at an awareness and position regarding current politics. But the song is primarily just a song about civic responsibility and neighborliness. The song concludes, “If not me, if not you, then who? It takes me and every one of you.” It’s not as if we all haven’t heard “fight the good fight” a million times.

We all know what it means, but this song is a helpful reminder… with examples. Oh, and, of course, a pleasant listen from a talented artist. It’s very well-performed. Berggren has a terrific voice for this style of folk music. He spent decades as an audio and radio professor at SUNY Fredonia, so the exceptional quality of his recordings is no accident. And songs like “The Good Fight” are exactly what the world needs right now. Sometimes, exactly what I need to hear, which is why I’m so glad I stumbled upon it and wanted to share it with you via this review.