Truth is what he aims for.

Ben Kweller - Ben Kweller
Posted by Tim Karan on 05-Dec-06 @ 03:20 PM

[5/5] It's no accident that Ben Kweller's third solo disc is simply titled Ben Kweller. This is the 25-year-old singer-songwriter at his most personal, so if you want to know what's been going in his life, simply check out the album's 11 songs. Curious if he has regrets about spending his formative years on the road? Well, based on the mid-tempo pop-rocker "Penny On The Train Track", Kweller's not without his wistful moments. How are things going with the wife, who just gave birth to their first child? Check out the show-stopping love letter "Thirteen," where Kweller turns the highlights of their relationship into a plaintive piano ballad. Besides playing all the instruments, the singer's great trick on Ben Kweller is that he always sounds bright-eyed and full of wonder; no easy feat, considering he's been toiling in the major-label system since he was 15. Back then Kweller was pegged as the Next Big ThingTM with his neo-grunge group Radish. And while 11 years later he's still waiting for the world to catch on, he's never been better positioned for a breakthrough. Over the course of the album, Kweller gleefully references everything from classic college rock ("I Don't Know Why") to old-wave punk ("This is War"), but he's at his best when serving up pop at its most crystalline. You won't hear a more instantly infectious song this year than "Run", which condenses Kweller's career into three stunning minutes. If you've been having a bitch of a time figuring out how you're going to start your next mixtape, the answer starts here. (RCA) Mike Usinger

ROCKS LIKE: Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen • Old 97's Satellite Rides • Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend






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