Alone onstage with his trademark Baldwin baby grand, his record offers 17 tracks of wit, sarcasm and sorrow, all bordering on masterpiece material. Even better, live music innovations on the disc spontaneously arise -- singularly inspired by the mere lack of instruments at his disposal.
Divided into trumpets and saxophones to form a "bitchin' horn section" for "Army," fans blast and wail flawlessly through the song's two-part brass solo. The result is stage magic in its purest form.
"Not the Same," a true tale of an acid trip turned religious conversation or, Folds said, "where religion and drugs meet back on the other side," turns the same trick.
Folds steps back as the crowd independently forms a haunting choral section that continues well past the song's end.
On the record, fan devotion for Folds and his previous band, Ben Folds Five, shines through like a glaring sun and Folds responds with fervor.
Satisfying a yearning evident especially during his 2001 Rockin' the Suburbs tour, Folds addresses the craving for vintage Folds with "Philosophy," "The Last Polka" and "Best Imitation of Myself." Pounding the keys with the same unadulterated bliss seen many years ago, Folds seems revitalized in Ben Folds Live.
The album also unveiled previously unreleased tracks "Silver Street," live favorite "Rock This Bitch" and "One Down," possibly the most hilariously sincere song on the album.
Even the Rockin' the Suburbs tracks seemed infinitely more fresh and authentic than their studio versions. "Zak And Sara," pure pop at its best, is stripped down to the crisp piano melodies and warm vocals.
"Fred Jones Part 2" summons a ghostly two-part melody when Cake's John McCrea joins Folds on stage to the audience's delight.
To send fans further into giddy delirium, the first pressing of Ben Folds Live includes a DVD of live performances and some behind-the-scenes footage.
Highlights include Folds donning sparkled, glam-rock sunglasses for his cover of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" and a melancholy version of the Ben Folds Five anthem "Song For The Dumped."
At the absolute least, Ben Folds has compiled a worthy addition to his previous four LPs. At the most, he has created one of the best live albums of the past two decades.
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Bold statements indeed, though somewhere between the poles is a record full of life and shimmering talent that should be cherished by fans and music enthusiasts alike.
By Aaron Freeman
Peter Gabriel
Up
3 Stars
Peter Gabriel got tired of writing pop songs long ago.
It's been 16 years since he last released a commercially successful album. It's been 10 years since he last released an album, period.
But Gabriel isn't tired of exploring.
And explore he does on Up, a work that ventures into musical terrain that is dense, dark and dramatic. Abandoning typical song structure for atmospherics, the album is layered with carefully crafted sounds -- some traditional, some abstract -- that sustain a consistent mood from start to finish.
Gabriel still has the pop sense that propelled "Sledgehammer" to the top of the charts. He still has the vocal resonance that affixed "In Your Eyes" to adult contemporary playlists everywhere.
But Gabriel uses those gifts sparingly when navigating his new musical landscape.
A catchy hook is inserted to steer the music toward a new idea while soothing vocals serve as a refrain from chilling ambiance.
But neither tool is ever used as a foundation.
Fortunately, Gabriel also still has the ability to conjure breathtaking sonic collages.
The artist always has had a penchant for using diverse instrumentation to create rich musical backdrops. His work on Up sounds less like a massive experiment than it does a master delving into the nuances of his craft. Every string crescendo, jarring guitar lick and haunting background vocal is carefully measured and tweaked.
Gabriel announced the album's title more than four years ago, and it's easy to imagine him laboring in the studio for at least that long.
Occasionally, his delicate blending of pop elements with the album's ambient undercurrent serves to elevate the value of both styles.
Up opens promisingly with the alternately gripping and soothing impact of "Darkness." The record climaxes with the propulsive force of "Signal to Noise."
Both tracks use an accessible hook -- a gentle melody, recognizable chord progression or irresistible drum beat -- to lure the listener into what would otherwise be a fascinating but alienating work.
But between these two ends the album drags under the weight of its ambition. Multiple listens reveal fresh revelations on each track but do little to make the listening process any easier.
Except for the album's middle track, the horribly forced and out of place "The Barry Williams Show," none of the songs stands on its own.
Each track builds and falls into the next, and the quality of each one depends on the role it plays in the entire work.
Up clearly wasn't intended as a mainstream album, and it's unfair to fault its creator for falling short in such a regard. As an exploration of fresh musical ideas, the album succeeds beautifully.
But for an artist who possesses a pop sense to complement his innovative vision, such a fiercely uncompromising work sells Gabriel short.
Up could have been a brilliant introduction to a more advanced and sophisticated level of music -- if only Gabriel had been willing to bring it down to the average fan.
By Brook Corwin
Prymary Colorz
If You Only Knew
3 Stars
The members of Prymary Colorz might be ministers' sons from North Carolina, but they followed a different Bible for their musical inspiration -- 'NSync's No Strings Attached.
The group recycled many of the electronic sounds exhibited on 'NSync's successful album for its LP If You Only Knew.
Although derivative of other boy bands, the group does add a few new elements to the mix -- a stronger religious element brewing behind the music and a racially diverse lineup featuring two black and two white vocalists.
The stealthy stares from the members on the cover evaporate into the increasingly drippy pop that floods the album for 13 tracks -- plus the bonus remix of the title track.
But the title track already sounds like a remix of one of the slower songs and isn't representative of the album. "If You Only Knew" is a bouncy track that doesn't reveal too much of the group's various vocal ranges but is one of the better songs on the album.
The group members join in the chorus, repeating "If you only knew," downplaying each member's vocal talent and playing into the boy band ideal. The group shares the song, allowing each member to shine -- unlike other groups where it is obvious that two members lead the pack.
The second track on the album also follows a precedent set more by 'NSync than other boy bands -- rap incorporated into a pop song. "Waste of Time" features a rap in an otherwise mediocre song in which the chorus is repeated more than 10 times.
The redundancy begins around track seven when the experimental electronic songs taper off. The sappy songs segue into more tracks about relationships with women and even God.
Lyrically the group struggles, but in the pop game a breathy "yeah" will suffice to patch up any holes. In Prymary Colorz's case the cries combine with a gravelly rap inside an otherwise regular pop ballad.
Although Prymary Colorz is another boy band on a crowded pop market, the group's strong vocals and surprise twists make it a little different from the rest.
The rap-pop collaboration worked for 'NSync and Nelly, so maybe it will for Prymary Colorz.
By Kristen Williams
