New Music From Ben Folds
How good is Way to Normal? Get a sample here.
Ben Folds wasn’t a pianist when he started his musical career. No, in his first few bands, Ben was a bassist and a drummer. After short stints in multiple bands, he went off to attend Miami University’s school of music on a percussion scholarship. However, he dropped out of the program one credit shy of graduation. While in school, he spent quite a bit of time working on his piano technique, rather than his drumming skills. After leaving Miami, Ben went to New York where he did some acting and did weekly gigs at the same café that launched Jeff Buckley’s career.
Before the first Ben Folds solo album, the world was introduced to Ben Folds Five. The band released four full-length albums, all of which were critically acclaimed, before breaking up and the members all going their separate ways. Since the break-up, Ben Folds has released three solo albums. The first one, Rockin’ the Suburbs, is Folds’ most popular solo work to date. It peaked at #42 on the Billboard 200 chart and #11 on the Top Internet Albums Chart. The title track peaked at #28 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The success of his first solo work since leaving Ben Folds Five proved that he could indeed survive as a solo artist.
It took nearly four years, but Ben Folds finally released a second solo record in April of 2005. Songs for Silverman After the success of Rockin’ the Suburbs, some were worried that it would be difficult for the man to keep up his high quality of work. Those worries were put to bed quickly after the release of Songs for Silverman. The album peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200 and had two singles reach the top 100. An interesting tidbit about the album’s name, it was originally named for Folds’ former A&R man Ben Goldman to whom Folds had always been sending his songs. When someone “flipped out” about it, he changed the name and turned in the album.
Fans were ecstatic in July when Ben Folds’ third solo effort, Way to Normal, supposedly leaked on the internet. However, the leak was simply a joke by the musician. On a day off, he recorded a fake version of the album. This version featured two actual tracks from the album with the rest being fake versions of other tracks and one track that doesn’t exist on the actual version.
Way to Normal is a solid effort. Ben Folds’ Songwriting maintains the quality that fans have come to expect and each track is a unique musical offering; all fitting together to make an album that is a welcome addition to an already stellar catalog. No matter what style of his songs you prefer, there’s something here for you. Whether you want the somber songs or the more carefree upbeat tunes, it’s all here.
Posted by Cory Roop on Oct 03, 2008 @ 7:00 am
