|
 |
Ben FoldsSongs For Silverman Epic/SonyBMG It's no secret that Ben Folds is a personal hero of mine. Such a versatile pianist, with such a great vocal range, he is heroic simply as a performer; but as a songwriter he's nothing short of a genius - his seminal work (with the Five), 'Whatever And Ever Amen' (1997) and 'The Unauthorised Biography Of Reinhold Messner' (1999) are albums I still, and always will, go back to, time and time again. His last record, 'Rockin' The Suburbs' (2001), was in a sense a sign of maturity for Folds, finding new musical ground through which to express his newfound sentimentality. Nearly four years later, Folds returns to his roots to present to us an album full of great songs, and to cement his place as one of the greats of American songwriting. The first track on this album, Bastard, lacks the punch of his previous "angry" work, but the amazing arpeggios and extra-subtle delivery of You To Thank bring us back to his best. Then the Brian Wilson style harmonies of Jesusland, with its (hopefully) cynical lyrics, liven up the mood before getting to first single Landed, which may not be as notable, but has a piano refrain to die for. That leads us on to the personal side of the record, echoing a similar theme on '...Suburbs'; Gracie, Trusted and Give Judy My Notice all seem like musical journal entries of domestic bliss. I first thought Late, his ode to the late Elliot Smith, might have been a bit too obvious, but it has since quite strongly grown on me; it is in turn followed by the jazz radiance of Sentimental Guy. This is not itself a classic - it is just one impressive chapter in the oeuvre of a master.  |
|
The latest issue available now!     |
All content copyright dB Magazine