Singer/guitarist Dean Milano’s expressive vocals reflect decades of performing folk music. An author as well as a musician, his tales of loners, truck drivers, and late-night hitchhikers on Something To Think About ring true and often have a dose of humor. “I’m Proud To Be Ignorant” is like shooting fish in a barrel, but Milano crafts sharper satire on “Musical Chairs” and the title track. Throughout the CD, there’s a sense of Milano carrying on a rich tradition.

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Here's a guy who's got a lot to say -- and who's not afraid to tell it like it really is. Stories from life making their journeys through the eyes, through the mind, through the heart, and out into the world again via Dean Milano's superbly crafted songs. These songs bear Dean's unmistakable stamp of truth and experience. What some songwriters do with sparseness and economy, Dean does with detail and extravagance. You SEE what Dean's getting at ... and you FEEL it, too. That's why the songs invite repeated listening; there's always a nuance, a subtlety or two that you missed the first time through. Dean crafts with words AND music -- and it's a joy to hear when it all comes together. This is one of those rare CDs that gets stronger with every song. Near the end, I was already on board and ready to travel wherever Dean might want to take me. It's a journey well spent.
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Veteran Chicago storyteller, author and songwriter Dean Milano has crafted an album full of characters with stories to tell, and Milano tells them articulately and with feeling á la Canadian songsmith Gordon Lightfoot or American treasure Paul Simon… A sense of humor is essential equipment for a folksinger, and Dean Milano has more than his share… Like much of his music, Milano seems reluctant to leave the past behind, and perhaps it's that sorrowful realization of time marching on that informs his music more than any other emotion.
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Dean Milano's new album, "Something To Think About" is a wonderful collection of 'story songs' influenced by real events in Dean's life.  The music is solidly entertaining and well-produced, and the stories are inspiring, insightful, and interesting.  What makes this an especially good listen is the eclectic mix of music styles, and also that some stories go back a number of decades, with the perspective of time providing an added depth to the messages in the material.  "Something to Think About" is definitely something to 'listen to' and is the first album on my "Faves" list of 2011!
--Lilli Kuzma, host of "Folk Festival" on 90.9fm WDCB Public Radio (Glen Ellyn/ Chicago) www.WDCB.org
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