Written
by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin
The
success of The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon will likely define, at least
in part, Ben Brookes’ career until he bows out of the music scene. He has
debuted with such astonishing variety and imagination that it makes one
breathless to consider where he might go from here. His creativity on this
collection makes it vividly clear that there’s a world of musical possibility
at his feet and whatever direction he takes from here will likely bear ample
fruit. The UK born Brookes has brought in a crew of UK music veterans of near
musical royalty level – namely Joey Molland and Greg Healey from legendary pop
rockers Badfinger. It is, perhaps, natural that Beatles and Badfinger
influences come through strongly in the music and Healey’s production skills
accentuate that quality when its present in Brookes’ work, but there are other
influences coming through as well and they are accompanied by a highly
individual quality that raises it all far above mere homage or imitation.
“I
Wanna Go Home” serves notice of Brookes’ influences without ever getting lost
in them. The ability to transmute the sounds that have influenced you as an
artist into something truly your own isn’t as easy it might seem – the requisite
talent is often beyond many young performers or else they lack seasoning.
Whatever experience Brookes’ lacks is rendered moot by his talent level. He
makes the coy vocal melody stick with you and never risks annoying the audience
with its playfulness while the real longing at the heart of the song comes
across quite effectively. “Asleep in Galilee” is another wonderfully effective
number, one of the best on The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon, and the
relaxed sweep carrying listeners through the song is made all the more
appealing thanks to his vocal. A third high point comes with the track “Before
Sunlight” and, once again, it’s melody that wins the day for Brookes. A closer
listen to his lyrics, however, should reveal to any discerning listener that
Brookes is an important songwriter who, each time out, makes meaningful
statements with his considerable writing talents.
Two
of the album’s grittier tracks, “Stories in the Rain” and “Somewhere Around
Eight”, both rely on twining up distorted electric guitar runs with strong
acoustic rhythm guitar underlying the entire song. Brookes gives us a different
side of his vocal excellence with each of these songs and communicates vast
oceans of feeling both times out. The album’s last song “Shackles” has a more
poetic and moodier feel, but it ends the album on the right note and spares the
audience any unnecessary histrionics. The quality of this release is such that
it sounds like a much more experienced artistic hand is responsible for its
excellence, but it’s clear we’re in the hands of prodigious talent with this
one. Ben Brookes’ The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon is a worthwhile release
in every meaningful respect.
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