BRENDAN
BENSON
What
Kind Of World
Brendan Benson has carved out something of a niche for
himself as the thinking person’s neo-powerpop singer-songwriter. So following
the near-flawless collection that is 2009’s My
Old Familiar Friend, some may be side-swiped by this, his fifth solo
outing.
Benson’s
trademark lyrical self-doubt, knowing retro moves and FM-friendly production
gloss all remain but there’s a sense of the foot having been taken off the gas
somewhat; allowing a tide of emotional, rather than musical depth to roll in. Songs
are mid-paced, preferring to meander than take flight – ‘Pretty Baby’ is
positively soporific. It’s not until eight tracks in that ‘Met Your Match’
ramps up the tempo. ‘No One Else But You’ is destined to become a cornerstone
but it’s buried at the end of the album when it should have been given pride of
place.
Benson’s Nashville locale has plainly exerted an influence – the closing
‘On The Fence’ is a straight three-chord country ballad, its pleas of “I wanna
raise a family and do the things that normal people do” sounding alarmingly
heartfelt.
Andy
Morten
No comments:
Post a Comment