Ben Kweller's newly released self-titled record is...good. Really good, actually. His best yet. And it's not that his songwriting has drastically improved (although it
is getting better) so much as that he's making much wiser decisions these days with his arrangements. His loud, overdriven rockers on previous albums are fun enough in concert, but they've always caused me to reach for the skip button on my iPod. But with
Ben Kweller, the boy wonder grows up. Gone (mostly) are the punk riffs and screaming (leftover from his
Radish days) that never sat quite right with me and seemed to get in the way of his strengths. Here to stay and better than ever are the pianos and acoustic guitars that have made his greatest songs great in the past, alongside the tight harmonies and quirky, heartfelt lyrics that have made me stick by this songwriter from the beginning. This is the first record in Ben's still-small catalog that I don't anticipate having to skip around on. It's good start to finish. So congratulations, Ben. This is a good one to name after yourself.
Comments (4)