Songs for Silverman

by

Ben Folds

Edit

Songs For Silverman starts off with a twist - the punchy, busy (...) a sign that we're in for an interesting ride. The music that follows is vintage Ben Folds - epic piano playing, passionate vocals, dramatic melodies, etc. The lyrics do seem untypically restrained on occasion, as on the gentle and lovely "Gracie," but I'm thinking most BF fans will eat this CD up. Ben has been very prolific in the past year or so, with 3 solo EPs, plus the "Bens" EP, PLUS this new album. I'm grateful that the Silverman CD has minimal overlap with the EPs. When you add it all up, the five discs of tunes amount to a mighty fine collection of songs. Ben's melodies and piano lines are more rich than ever, deep into Elton John "Tiny Dancer" territory. (Folds has never shied away from the EJ comparison, and has covered "Tiny Dancer" often in concert.) He and his two primary bandmates, Jared Reynolds and Lindsay Jamieson, have made things sound even better with some Beach Boy style harmonies, and strings come in on a few songs to add poignancy. Mr. Folds' albums are the kind that I enjoy more and more with repeated listens, and I can tell this new one will be the same way.

Music: 4 stars...very good album from Ben Folds. But unfortunately, the audio side of the DualDisc doesn't work in my Apple G5. The DVD side works but I'm not able to import the audio into itunes. So if you're planning to load the songs into itunes then download it into your ipod, forget it. In fine print at the bottom of the jewel case it says, "the audio side of this disc does not conform to CD specifications and therefore not all DVD and CD players will play the audio side of this disc." Of course, you don't know this until Amazon sends you the CD since they don't display the warning on the page. Be forewarned.