Ben Folds is a man of many talents. He can write beautiful melodies, create big hooks, and write a funny song. Sometimes all at once. However I feel that he is at his best when he has a combination of each in separate tracks. Some of my favorite Ben Folds songs are ‘Not The Same’, of the best tracks are ‘Kylie From Connecticut’ and ‘Cologne’ where he hits on relationships over some beautiful piano. These delicate moments really show Ben’s true talent. He can make a beautiful ballad. Thats for sure. But Ben is more so known for his mix of hooks and comedy. Ben has tons of fun with tracks like ‘Bitch Went Nuts’ which I dare you not to tap along at all. ‘Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)’ discusses Ben’s fall on stage at a show at Hiroshima which only Ben could make fun of himself over a catchy chorus. It is the type of song you have come to adore from Ben. It has a great beat, and a big hook that draws you in. ‘Dr. Yang’ is one of the more experimental tracks on the album with Ben putting his voice at an unusual register. The track has a lot of energy and even though it may not go where you hoped, it provides an interesting listen.
The standout track is Ben’s duet with the wonderful Regina Spektor on ‘You Don’t Know Me’. This is one of Ben’s best work recently, which many relationships can relate to. The best moments for Ben are usually when he combine’s his sense of humor with this soft tender side. Such as in ‘Effington’ which talks about a lonely town, but in Ben fashion. “If there’s a god/he’s laughing at us/And our football team.”. The track has all of the components of a good Ben Folds song, and he really hit a homerun with ‘Effington.’ It is quite an enjoyable song!
Howeved the album doesn’t quite always reach its potential. Songs like ‘Errant Dog’ and ‘Free Coffee’ don’t seem to reach the heights Ben was going for. Those songs lacked a serious component. ‘The Frown Song’ is killed by some random/dumb lyrics about “Fucking The guru”. Things like that just kill songs for me. I just didn’t get too much out of them. Ben can really make some beautiful ballads, I think if he can find a good balance between ballads and fast paced pop songs he will get back to where he wants to be. This album has some really beautiful songs mixed in with some songs that Ben probably had fun doing, but didn’t turn up as good as he hoped. They do sound better live at least…
All in all this is not as bad of an album as critics are saying. You got some classic Ben ballads, some goofy upbeat tunes, what else can you ask for. I will say one thing, the album definitely gets better over time. So don’t give up on it yet, somethings aren’t as normal as they used to be! Ben is one of the most talented piano players making music at the moment. There is a lot of good stuff there, just you may have to decide which of his styles is more for you! Ben is an amazing performer live, and if you really want a full appreciate of him, go see him live!!
Rating: 7.0
(Bold = Top track picks)
Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hits His Head) – 3.5
Dr. Yang – 3.25
The Frown Song – 2.75
You Don’t Know Me (feat. Regina Spektor) – 5
Before Cologne – N/A
Cologne – 4.5
Errant Dog – 2.5
Free Coffee – 2
Bitch Went Nuts – 3.75
Brainwascht – 2.75
Effington – 4.5
Kylie from Connecticut – 4.25
[MP3] : Ben Folds – You Don’t Know Me (Feat. Regina Spektor)
[MP3] : Ben Folds – Effington
Purchase Way To Normal: Insound | Amazon
Myspace
Join the conversation