On My Way

by

Ben Kweller

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This is easily one of the most aptly titled albums in recent memory. While Kweller's 2002 debut Sha Sha was oodled over by critics everywhere for it's youthful passion and innocent persona, retreading that same ground too many times would never establish him any real respect as a mature capable musician. Kweller realizes that, and on his second release he is doing his best to mature and grow while still respecting and conserving elements of his quirky youthfulness. So while he hasn't completely evolved and grown up yet, he displays on this release that he is undoubtedly On His Way.

On Sha Sha Kweller skirted between tongue in cheek humor and emotional depth all while demonstrating extroidinary musicianship and creativity. Combine that with his giddy innocence and you had package that was extremely believable and easy to connect with. There was nothing fake about him, and you could tell. The biggest concern in his maturation is whether or not this connection would be lost.

Thankfully it wasn't. Kweller has managed to grow as a musician and develop his sound and style while still retaining the sense that everything he is doing is sincere. Upon listening it is apparent that he hasn't so much changed his style, but rather he's just grown within what he has previously established. There is a greater influence here from the recent surge of "rock saviors" (i.e. Strokes, White Stripes), opposed to his last run-around which was a largely Weezer influenced affair. However, though these influences have grown tedious over the past several months, Kweller feels genuine and fresh. Again he feels real, not part of the bandwagon.

As a general rule the lyrics are a more serious affair this time around. However, serious themes do not mean that he has lost his sense of humor, as many tracks still maintain a certain element of dry jest within these more mature subjects. The hooks are a little more obvious this time, and everything flows together significantly better. Any innocence lost has been replaced by better song writing abilities and are more than welcome.

Journalists in all types of music publications are quick to dub Kweller as the next Ben Folds, and rightly so. This album contains a good number of piano driven numbers, and typically they are his strongest moments. "Living Life" and the ridiculously Beatles-esque closer "Different But The Same" are definite stand outs here and more than establish Ben as a strong man vs. piano musician. Those tracks, along with the great "Believer" also show a drastically improved knack for dramatic build ups and epic crescendos. With these three tracks he has turned the corner from a catchy pop musician to a powerful mature artist, and are hopefully foreshadows of what he is going to deliver in the future.

Ultimately this album is a tremendous step for Mr. Kweller and he is making all the right decisions. He is growing up and not afraid to show that. However he realizes the power he holds within his youthful mannerisms and doesn't completely abandon them either. He is slowly working himself forward and establishes full confidence that he will eventually evolve into one of the most substantial musicians of his generation. Absolutely recommended.

"Sha Sha" was quite a revelation for me. It was heavily promoted in 2002 and I was immediately turned off-- for the amount of advertising dollars spent on it, I couldn't imagine the record was halfway decent. I was blown away, however, when I did wind-up listening to the entire record after hearing "Wasted & Ready."

I don't see this record as such a massive departure for Kweller, either. Someone likened him to Weezer's Rivers Cuomo. The comparison holds up, but I don't see it as negative as Cuomo summarily gave up writing emotional, heart-felt pop songs, to pure, formulaic, polished diddys. In essence, Kweller fills the gap Cuomo left by turning commercial.

"On My Way" is certainly more sparse than Kweller's first album. Things start out well and good with "I Need You Back" and "Hospital Bed." Kweller turns a bit more introspective in "My Apartment." Then the record begins to fall flat as we reach the title track, "On My Way." Without a melody and singing lyrics that seem well out of Kweller's own experience, "On My Way" lacks the same genuine honesty as its precursor, "My Apartment."

A few more tracks help to salvage the album-- including "Down" and "Believer." "Living Life" seems like a dishonest hold-over from Sha Sha, and it shows. "Ann Disaster" is probably the worst song that Kweller has written-- or, at least, released.

More than half the album is vintage Kweller and worth owning, but buyers should be ware that "On My Way" is not the pop masterpiece, from start to finish, that Kweller fans would expect after his debut "Sha Sha."