Brenda Kahn's Epiphany in Brooklyn takes the same approach to lyrical content as
Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, in that her songs paint portraits of characters from all over the landscape of the United States. Her main setting is New York City, which is captured appropriately in the caffeine buzz of the first track, "I Don't Sleep, I Drink Coffee Instead." The album closes with "In Indiana," where she sings, "Brooklyn is a long cab ride away." In between, her destinations include the Mojave desert, Ohio and the Bible Belt. The albums mood fluctuates between excitement (the Dylanesque "Mint Juleps and Needles" and "She's in Love") and the despair caused by relationships ("My Lover" and "Lost"). The bleak "Sleepwalking" is a subtle masterpiece, with its observations of the contradictions inherent in the United States of 1992.
Brenda Kahn's folk-punk sound and highly energized lyrics make
Epiphany in Brooklyn a hidden gem. ~ Brian Flota