Customer Reviews

The Bens

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just wanted to point out that contrary to what another reviewer said - "Xfire" has Ben Lee taking the lead and "Stop" is Kweller's turn at the front. Not sure how the songwriting went with this group but I suspect that each one came in with a song they took the lead for and "Just Pretend" was all three together. Anyway, the whole album is good and I do agree that "Bruised" is the highlight.

I have liked each of these Bens for years! When the three of them were touring together overseas I was so disappointed I could not see them! When this EP came out I was so excited to finally hear the three of them so amazingly combining their fine talents. These songs are a perfect mix of the styles that each man represents. The harmonies are great! The lyrics are brilliant! Personally this is one of the best EP's I have ever heard and the only CD I have enjoyed that comprised of different artists. It is almost like they were meant to be singing together!

The fourth track, "Bruised", features Folds as lead vocals with Lee and Kweller backing him up. It's just a fantastic song. An instant classic; a timeless ballad.

The rest of the album is interesting, and Ben Kweller isn't bad either, but Ben Folds is just amazing.

I highly recommend Folds' EP "Speed Graphic". It's absolutely phenomenal.

When I first saw this EP at my university record store, I thought it was a total gimmick, quick way for the record company to make money off of Ben Folds's name. I had also never heard anything from Lee or Kweller before. Being the Folds fan that I am, I still bought it in that mindset. I was very apologetic afterwards. This is a shining piece of music and perfect example of the 3 Bens' personal styles and senses of humor to come up with a band based solely on their first names. Each Ben crafted his own song wonderfully, though Ben Kweller's "Stop!" is my least favorite, and all came together for a sweet, light-hearted song with "Just Pretend." Aside from it, the highlight of the album is Ben Folds's "Bruised."

I'm a big fan of Ben Folds, I think Ben Lee is very talented and up until now, I didn't know who Ben Kweller was. After listening to this EP, I think I'm going to buy some Ben Lee and Kweller CDs, because the music is perfect for any occasion. 'Bruised' is a tune that can mend any broken heart. 'Xfire' is pretty cheesy for a rock tune, but it's not half bad. 'Just Pretend' is the best song on the EP, with harmonies reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Although I didn't really care for 'Stop!', I'm not sure why though. It's an okay tune, it's a little too cheesy of a song for my liking, and the vocals could be better if Ben Folds sang 'em. It gets better around the chorus though, which is my favorite part. If they ditched the drum machine part, the song would be another gem. I'm not going to take off because of the silly mistake, because this 'Singer/Songwriter Pop' is so sweet, it's hypnotizing. Make sure to buy this EP if you're looking for musicians who actually write their own music. If you want good music that you won't tire of in the future, 'The Bens' is what you're looking for.

*TWO THUMBS UP FOR 'THE BENS'*

Just Pretend is very nearly a perfect song. The other ones are good too.

I love the first track Just Pretend with everyone giving equally to the song. The rest of the album seems like a single from each artist. Not that it's bad, since they are all three talented artists, but since this is a collaboration, I would have to liked to hear the influence of all three on the songs.

First off, I love this album, I bought it off iTunes the day it was released and loved it so much I wanted the real thing, highly recommended even if you only like one of them. Not the best stuff by either of them by far, but a good starting point.

I also thought I might be able to shed a little light on how the Bens worked together on the album. I went to the Ben Lee show on March 22 at the Lo Fi Cafe in Salt Lake City, anyways while there Ben told us how while at an R.E.M. concert a few years back he was sitting in front of a couple of guys when one turned to the other and said "You know who the greatest guy in the world is?" At this point Lee's ears perked up cause like he said, if some one is going to tell you who the greatest guy in the world is... you want to know. Lee continues to listen and hears the answer... "Elton John" weather or not he agreed with Sir Elton being voted the greatest guy in the world a tune came into his head... "There goes, the greatest guy in the world" with the music to that being the same as the song later known as "Bruised". Later Lee showed his new song to Folds with folds replying "Thats s***." He liked the tune though, so he wrote the current lyrics to Bruised. So it was Lee who wrote the music to Folds' song on the album and if anyone knows the stories of any of the other songs I would love to hear.

I've got another story about one of the songs. I'm not sure how accurate this is but I heard it from my cousin, a longtime Ben Kweller fan. He says that the Bens got together to do "Just Pretend" and they made up the basic chord progression and such but then they each just went to separate corners of a room and wrote their own sections of the verses on whatever they wanted with no real cohesion. Then, they got back together, put them together, and made a chorus for it. I thought that was pretty cool.

This little 4 song EP is worth only some of the hype it has recieved since the rumors of it's exsistance first appeared last year. 2 of the 4 songs are worth a listen and represent the best of these 3 artists. Each track shows the marks of it's creation and it's diverse creators

The tracks that Folds clearly had the most involvement developing and writing are the most mature and solid efforts on the record. "Bruised" is the clear stand out of the 4 and will appeal especially to Folds fans but also to those who appreciate Kweller and Lee. It is also probably the most Folds heavy track on the album as he sings all the vocals.

"Just Pretend" is the most balanced of the 4 tracks and showcases all 3 Bens in their most equitable form. While the lyrics aren't much aside from an apparently simple scheme that values lines rhyming rather than containing substance nonetheless it reflects the most balanced track featuring each Ben's talent.

The other two tracks "X Fire" and "Stop" are more experimental and reflect Kweller and Lee's influence. Kweller clearly took the reigns for "X Fire" as it is reminisant of some of the weirdly intelligent pop he crafted for his first two records. "X Fire" is not a bad track but holds none of the musical weight of "Bruised" or "Just Pretend".

The true weak link is "Stop". This is clearly Ben Lee's brainchild as he is the least talented of the three. In fact, Lee is remarkably lucky that his first name is Ben or else he probably would have been left off the project all together and we would have bought an album called: "Kweller and Folds Were In Australia Together. Heres What Happened". Though Kweller offers most of the vocals on "Stop" it doesn't reflect much of his writing sensabilities or music disposition and Folds' input is limited to some synth keyboard. This leaves only Lee to blame for the effort. The verses themselves aren't bad but the song becomes a 2-minute car wreck after the first chorus.

On the whole it is an interesting EP both in terms of music and inception. The hype of a Kweller, Folds and Lee troika is certainly deserved but the album shows, too strongly in places, the marks of Lee's weakness and Kweller's experimentation. Folds saves the record and it will be appealing to his fans as well as those who appreciate Kweller's music. Its a fun little record and a good addition to any collection.