Well not his "Debut" on paper but his first proper album written without the assistance of his former band mates, as his true debut was Ben Folds Live, a live medley of Ben Folds Five classics mixed with some newer tracks. This is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy this album.
Ben Folds - Formerly of hit band Ben Folds Five made the transition from his group, to basically the same set up, with him, a drummer and a bassist. You may ask, well what's the difference? You would be right to ask this as the set up is basically the same and the lead singer is the same. What has changed is Ben's excellent vocals and I feel he has truly excelled from his days in BF5 and is now much more melodic, but he is still capable of using his 'geeky' edged voice when needs be.
Songs such as 'Fred Jones Part 2', 'The Luckiest' and 'Still Fighting it' all have powerful messages, almost ballad-like, that really shows off Folds' voice and capability to portray a song without masses of piano and drum accompaniment. This is a huge step forward from the American singer songwriter, which shows an increase in maturity and experience. These appear to pick up where the Ben Folds Five classic 'Brick' left us. Ben Folds now appears much more confident in singing these types of songs and they certainly compliment his voice combined with the piano.
But, all you Ben Folds Five fans who want more of the same 'Geek Rock' as penned by some critics, need not be disappointed
as you can still see chunks of the old sound in 'Not The Same' and 'Fired.' These are very powerful songs that are greatly accompanied by the drums and Bens own piano sound. 'Fired' also sees beach-boys-esque harmonies from the rest of the 'group'. These tracks would certainly not look out of place on a Ben Folds Five album.
However I really believe that Ben Folds has struck a really effective balance in 'Carrying Cathy' and even more so in 'Losing Lisa' where he manages to combine these qualities of a melodic voice, with the old Ben folds Five sound. It works exceptionally well and although this track may not be the deepest, grittiest most powerful tracks, they still sound great and prove to be very easy listening. In 'Gone' we see these harmonies again that showcase the talents of Ben Folds but can be related again to the beach boys and even Mcfly, however I believe the lyrics behind this track surpass any of these bands attempts, yet the tune remains addictive and certainly very summery.
The title track is the powerful 'Rocking the Suburbs' and although one of the initially appealing tracks that may have got you interested in the album, it is not the strongest song on the album and is overshadowed by many other tracks. Such tracks include the bouncy Annie Waits that appears to have a similar story as Ben Folds Five's 'Kate' combined with 'Song for the Dumped' did but Fold's voice is far more refined and believable. The chorus is excellent and combined with the powerful piano, leaves a great song that combines brash with mellow.
Another popular song that may get you interested in this album is 'Zak and Sara' which is a more brash track with a powerful drum and cymbals along with the harmonies and Folds also gives his 'Ben folds Five voice' a surprise cameo, however he does this gracefully and it proves effective is displaying the emotions of the song.
I believe that this is what Ben Folds is trying to do: express his emotions whilst making excellent music. A prime example of this is the excellent 'Still Fighting It'. This tackles the issue of getting old, which appear to be statement true for Ben Folds, who we must agree is not the sprightly young guy he was in Ben Folds Five, and that he has matured, but he still is fighting it. This is particularly true of his song writing that has shown much more complexity, then with the added swearword to get the point across, but I digress. This song shows a lot of character with some great lyrics that many can relate to, a building chorus that at its crescendo is truly brilliant and the great harmonies of Folds. This shows his true talents in these 3 aspects come together perfectly in one song that I loved and although I have played it to death and beyond, I still love it!
One problem with this album is the fact that we cannot see for ourselves the skill that Folds possesses. Just a quick listen of this album does not allow you to appreciate Folds extraordinary talent. He manages to belt out some complex piano melodies whilst singing with true emotion in live performances. It was a shame that a DVD was not released showing some live performances, such as that in his new album 'Songs for Silverman.' I fell that this would showcase how great an all round musician he is, and is not just good at tracks, but can entertain a crowd.
So we know that he is a great talent, but it is bound to be that not everyone will appreciate this type of music .The messages are powerful but are behind often very light 'happy' melodies that may cover the songs to be light and fluffy without a true listen to Folds messages in the music. He is not greatly popular over here in the UK, but a recent performance on Jonathan Ross, who is one of his many fans, along with some other appearences, it would not suprise me if he did make an influence on the charts sometime.
This album has mainly outstanding songs, however there are some weaker tracks, although not fillers, they are just not as outstanding as some of the others. For me personally these are 'Fred Jones part 2' and 'The ascent of Stan'. These are by no means poor songs but perhaps they wear a little thin more quickly. You can tell by this that this album was not merely thrown together, but was meticulously crafted by Ben Folds to allow his maturity and improvements musically to show.
I have just take a look at individual tracks and looked at them compared to old tracks, but to really appreciated this album, it must be listened to as one, and not as merely tracks put together. It shows many sides to this talented musician and I feel that he has been able to open up more with what he wants to sing about and how he wants to sing it, more than he was capable of in a band. Although you may miss Ben Folds Five and some of their classics, Ben Folds has developed that sound that is quite unique.
So, if you enjoy excellent song writing with some great melodies, Ben Folds is the man for you. His lyrics are deep, yet the varying tempo of songs will keep you listening to this album for many months. He has shown great development since the days of Ben Folds Five and has developed his music accordingly. This album is relaxing, uplifting and has an great look on life. Perfect for people who do not want to listen to how bad everything is.
You can pick this up for around £10 from most places, although cheaper off the internet, and it really is worth every penny.
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On the evidence ofRockin' The Suburbs, Ben Folds' decision to jettison the two-piece Five ... more
that had backed him on four largely excellent albums has not, thankfully, resulted in any significant shift in trajectory. Ben Folds Five were only getting better...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
On the evidence of Rockin' The Suburbs, Ben Folds' decision to jettison the two-piece Five ... more
that had backed him on four largely excellent albums has not, thankfully, resulted in any significant shift in trajectory. Ben Folds Five were only getting bette...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Jun 4th, 2005
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