Ben Kweller Is On His Way
On My Way by Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller's third solo release is also his first to reach the vaunted Billboard album charts, peaking at #83. On My Way had no hit single driving the release's sales and only word of mouth and continuing critical acclaim drove the album's sales at all.
Born in 1981, the Texan transplanted to Brooklyn was all of 23 when On My Way was released. If some listeners thought he was just reaching the age where he could sing about relationships and grown-up subjects, they might have been surprised to learn that a Kweller song received honorable mention in Billboard's annual songwriter's contest. Kweller was in a band by 14, had a Top 40 U.K. hit by 17 and has toured with Ben Lee and Ben Folds as The Bens, as well as opening for acts like The Strokes and Dashboard Confessional.
Back To The Future
For his second major release, Kweller enlisted the aid of producer Ethan Johns, son of Glyn Johns, one of the British Invasion's best engineers and producers. The pair agreed to strip down the release's sound, recording the band in one room with as little post-production work as necessary.
Kweller, who plays guitars, drums and piano, recruited several local musicians, most notably Mike Stroud of Dashboard Confessional, to play on the album. They claim to have recorded without headphones, without making absolutely positively sure that every single note of every single track was perfect. They wanted to be a garage band again, or failing that, play off of the innocence and child-like tones of Kweller's voice.
The Songs
As evidenced by that Billboard recognition at a ridiculously young age, Kweller has always found a way to write an engaging song although he often lacks the vocal chops to do his own work justice. It's not that Kweller sings off key, but there is no power in his thin voice, and songs and lyrics that could be stretched remain homey sing-a-long numbers. Even when Kweller screams into the mic with determination, there is an element of muscle missing as if they were sung by the years-ago child Benny. Even the album's cover, with Kweller posing with wolves, seems designed to accentuate his age. There is no slam against Kweller, who can carry a tune. Jim Steinman, another brilliant songwriter, could barely sing his own work too, but a guy named Meat Loaf certainly made audiences notice the songs.
On My Way has an eclectic mix of songs, but most show that Kweller was raised with Top 40 and hook-laden tunes as a child. I Need You Back starts with a stripped down guitar lead out of the 1960s before the drums kick off the chorus right out of the early 1970s. Other songs, notably The Rules and My Apartment show off Kweller's alt-emo side. There are even several garage rock moments, especially in Ann Disaster.
But it is the lyrics and the piano work that differentiate On My Way. Perhaps the best is Living Life, a strong ballad with lyrics that are not hampered by Kweller's vocals and feature a melodic lead from Mike Stroud reminiscent of George Harrison. Different But The Same is another piano ballad that borrows from an established act, sounding as if it were stripped off a Ben Folds solo album. One wouldn't be surprised that the 2003 tour featuring Kweller, Folds and Ben Lee greatly influenced this song. Or maybe it was listening to too much Elton John as a child, but the song is pleasant with some lovely lyrics.
Not all of Kweller's lyrics can be described as lovely. Some are just strange, albeit memorable. The opening, for example, to Hear Me Out starts:
Breakin' the Rubik's Cube
Making Me Lose The Beat
Blue jean baby girl
We are in apogee,
Down in the Christmas tree.
They are not quite the quirky lyrics found on the preceding album Sha Sha, but in another example, Hospital Bed starts slowly as Kweller sings "la la la" over a simple scale. There is a bit of Brill building feeling through the verse until the song's chorus picks up into a frantic:
We'll crawl out of my window, honey,
in the morning I'm out of my head,
I wish I was sleeping In your hospital bed.
Give me some time to get on your mind.
You know what the words mean, but are forgiven if you are unsure of context.
The Bottom Line, Skips and All
New listeners will take some time acclimating to Kweller's voice, but the effort is worthwhile for this release of diverse tunes that show an ever emerging songwriter. There is a little something here for everyone.
Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. Kweller writes an eclectic mix of songs
2. Ethan Johns, Glyn's son, handled production and stripped the sound down to its core.
3. This is the first Ben Kweller album to reach the Billboard album charts despite a career going on 10 years.
4. Living Life is the strongest overall cut on the album and could have been a hit.
5. The voice takes some getting used to, but is usually worth the effort.
