Ripe

Ben Lee

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 18, 2007)
• Original Release Date: September 4, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New West Records
• ASIN: B000T2PRMK
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #116,061 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An internationally acclaimed song ("Catch My Disease") that made the playlist for both a hit television drama and computer advertisement did nothing to alter Australia's Ben Lee. He remains youthful (still, at age 28), eminently fruitful (this marks his seventh album), and capable of surrendering addictive after captivating song (see "Love Me Like the World Is Ending," "Just Say Yes," and a half-dozen others on this 12-song set). Not surprisingly, Ripe rides a similar vibe to 2005's Awake Is the New Sleep: quick-and-dirty pop melodies polished with chiming guitars, piano fills, and Lee's exuberant, boyish vocals. Love and affection provide a common thread, blatantly exposing themselves on the interrogatory "Is This How Love's Supposed to Feel" and "Just Say Yes," where Lee asks, "If this is right, then why resist?" while purely insinuating infatuation on both "Blush" and "Numb." The indie veteran's camaraderie pays off on "Sex Without Love," where Good Charlotte's Benji Madden joins him on a chorus dangerously Def Leppardish and the Greaselike "Birds and Bees," with pop diva Mandy Moore playing Olivia Newton-John to Lee's John Travolta. The latter plays hokey for one or two listens before dissolving into the record's delightful sequence. --Scott Holter

Product Description

Ben Lee delivers a career-defining release built on his belief that the best song in the world should be the catchiest, and should be popular, and should be the cleverest and the most soulful. RIPE, Lee’s 6th album, continues Ben’s trademark pop craftsmanship, sense of humor and uncontainable passion for life, as well as representing a marked maturity in form. The 12-song set includes the exuberant weeping ballad Love Me Like The World Is Ending, the infectious track Blush, an ode to a personal hero in What Would Jay-Z Do?, and the Mandy Moore duet Birds & Bees.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Album, July 18, 2008

By	Dean K "Dean" (CT, USA) - See all my reviews

I listen to WFUV in NY and they play a great variety of music including a lot of music I never heard before. This person was one of those I had never heard of before but has evidently been around a long time. It is a fabulous ablum, well worth purchasing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better luck next time Ben, March 13, 2008

By	Howlinw (California, USA) - See all my reviews

I'll be the contrarian here. I bought this from a used bin at my local indie on the strength of some of his older work (songs I connected with from the far superior "Awake Is The New Sleep"). I even sampled a few tracks in the store, and found them appealing and catchy. The problem was, on further listens, there was nothing more to it than what was immediately and readily apparent on the surface. No depth, nothing interesting. The lyrics came off (to me) as trite and insincere, and the melodies sounded like plenty I had heard before. The production was also just a bit too sharp and glossy, ready-made for adult alternative radio. What a disappointment - I brought it right back to the store. Ben's better than this, and I will reference "Awake Is The New Sleep" as evidence. Better luck next time Ben, and it saddens me to have to write this review.

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, December 28, 2008

By	B. Johnson (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not as good as Awake is the New Sleep, but I thought it was borderline between okay and good. I'm a bit disappointed how Ben Lee has moved onto a more "Pop" sound, rather than his contemplative and deep "Indie/Rock" sound. I hate to have to say this, because I LOVE Ben Lee. However, while the pop sound is disappointing, I really enjoy quite a few songs on this ablum including: Love Me Like The World Is Ending, American Television, Blush, Numb, Sex Without Love, Home, So Hungry, and Just Say Yes. I did not, however, enjoy Birds And Bees, Is This How Love Is Supposed To Feel, What Would Jay-Z Do, and Ripe. Birds and Bees actually makes me my ears bleed. I haven't made it through more than half that track.