California singer-songwriter Brett Dennen is 31 years old and four albums into his recording career. But if he had a dollar for every time he was referred to as “baby-faced” ... well, he might not have to buy any lottery tickets.

“I don’t know if I’m ever gonna live that one down,” Dennen — who released his latest album, “Loverboy,” in April — says with a laugh. “I’ve got a lot of things working against me because 1) I can’t really grow facial hair, 2) I’m always gonna have chubby baby face cheeks and 3) I have a little-boy kind of complexion, freckles and a mop of (red hair).

“So I still get carded at every bar I go to. I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.”

Dennen doesn’t let it get him down, however, and he certainly brought a youthful kind of playfulness to “Loverboy.” The idea, he says, was to make an album that was “a little more fun” than its predecessors, a goal that drove all 13 tracks.

“People say it sounds more like a summertime album or a dance record or something,” Dennen notes. “What I wanted more than anything was for it to sound like a live record. I wanted it to feel like people were in the room together, just having a lot of fun. So that’s how we recorded it. We kept it pretty live and lighthearted and fun.

“And when you come to hear us live, I believe you’ll get a pretty good representation of (the album), ’cause it’s the same thing, exactly how we recorded it.”



Brett Dennen and Dawes perform Sunday, May 29, at St. Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 313-961-8137 or visit www.livenation.com.