You may remember producer/multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett from the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, but his solo debut leaves a much better impression than that documentary about his old band, Wilco. Most of these t... more »en tunes are stripped down, featuring little embellishment, save for the occasional guest drummer and backing vocals from Ed Burch. The focus stays on Bennett's primary assets: A world-weary, yet wonder-tinged voice reminiscent of Mark Eitzel, and original ditties with the seductive cadences of pop fare, yet couched in subtle settings ("Let's Count Our Losses"). A pair of full band numbers--the flowery '60s groove of "Charming and Plastic" and the country rocker "It's Hard"--are equally strong. Lyrics about mornings after and love gone wrong suggest Jay suffers from headaches of his own, but they're not hindering his productivity: this is just one of three Bennett albums scheduled for 2004. --Kurt B. Reighley« less
You may remember producer/multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett from the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, but his solo debut leaves a much better impression than that documentary about his old band, Wilco. Most of these ten tunes are stripped down, featuring little embellishment, save for the occasional guest drummer and backing vocals from Ed Burch. The focus stays on Bennett's primary assets: A world-weary, yet wonder-tinged voice reminiscent of Mark Eitzel, and original ditties with the seductive cadences of pop fare, yet couched in subtle settings ("Let's Count Our Losses"). A pair of full band numbers--the flowery '60s groove of "Charming and Plastic" and the country rocker "It's Hard"--are equally strong. Lyrics about mornings after and love gone wrong suggest Jay suffers from headaches of his own, but they're not hindering his productivity: this is just one of three Bennett albums scheduled for 2004. --Kurt B. Reighley
CD Reviews
A good listen....
Chris Grisham | St. Louis | 04/22/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is Jay Bennett's first in a series of solo efforts put out by Undertow records, a fantastic label that allows artists to control their own music discretion. Bennett's album has many poppy, fiesty songs, that are sure to get your attention, like "Charming and Plastic", "It's Hard", "Curiosity", as well as a great song about being apart in "Songs that weren't finished". My bet is that all three (or four) of Bennett's upcoming albums are going to be very similar to Bigger than Blue, in that there are songs that will immediately catch on with the listener and those that will take some work. This is a great first effort for a solo album, which at times, is just Bennett, some background vocals and a guitar. As with his compilation with Edward Burch (Palace at 4am), this material will be great to see live and I cannot wait to purchase the next course in the solo albums in 2004."
Reasons For You To Love Jay Bennett
glowingjohn | Dallas, TX | 06/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album does exactly what Jay Bennett needed to do: prove the value of having such diversity in his musical abilities. Unlike Wilco's new experiments and Farrar's recent lullabies, Bennett doesn't busy himself trying so hard to be artsy. He rocks when he needs to, and uses unusual engineering and distortion techniques only when it really improves the song (Reasons for You to Love Me is the best produced song I've heard in... well, forever maybe). That said, the album does take a little work to get into at first; don't expect to just listen to the first three or four songs and expect it to slow down. It's got a "whole album" effect to it, rather than just having a couple fast, poppy songs surrounded by mediocrity. What's more, it was apparently worth it to break up Bennett's projects into a four album cycle... so I especially recommend this album in order to really get the whole experience from all that Jay has coming out over the next several months."
Great stuff. Wilco will miss him.
Big J. | Albuquerque, NM | 06/11/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I don't get that other review calling this album "stripped down," as if that were a bad thing. In this case, "stripped down" means it is not overproduced or over-arranged. You are left with some talented and fairly straightforward playing and songwriting. That's a good thing.Wilco is my favorite band. I think it was a huge mistake to let Bennett go. He brought a great dimension to that already great band, and I think he will be missed. This is a terrific album. Subtle, and one you can listen to all day. It's on my permanent playlist. If the above makes sense to you, you will probably feel the same way."
Inspired Musicianship
Jeffrey Davenport | 09/15/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This offering from ex-Wilco-ite Jay Bennett shows the artist's ability to create mood and images in this attention-grabbing collection of mostly softer-edged songs. Somewhat Americana, somewhat alt-rock, the album primarily shows off Bennett's vocals, which are tender and expressive and his guitar playing, which is stunning. Standouts are 'Cajun Angel' and 'Curiosity'."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1