Customer Reviews

Sha Sha

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

If Ben Folds' "Rocking the Suburbs" album is a glossy, new issue of Spin magazine, Ben Kweller's album "Sha Sha" is a handmade, personalized 'zine from a good friend.

From the opening piano on "How It Should Be (Sha Sha)" to the last "Ahh"s and "Ba ba"s on "Falling," Ben Kweller is amazing. Maybe this is because he's my age (20-ish), and multi-talented (guitarist/pianist/lyricist), but he just gets my goose with this album. I bought it after seeing him open for Dashboard Confessional in March, and I thought he was adorable. After the show, I hugged him, and the boy hugs tightly! Listening to this album is like that hug: it grabs you by surprise and it just won't let go until it's ready.

"Wasted and Ready," "Commerce, TX," "In Other Words," and "Harriet's Got a Song" are my current favorites, but all the other songs are great, too. Some songs rock, some songs are mellow, but they're all catchy and interesting.

Bottom line: If you like Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, even the Get Up Kids, you're bound to enjoy Ben Kweller.

It's a little funny that everybody who talks about Ben Kweller remarks on his age and treats him like a young savant. In reality, he's been around for years and his band Radish was supposed to be an alt-rock institution by now. Sadly, their debut came just as the now-dying teenybopper pop movement conquered the mainstream. Ben Kweller's Radish lost the game before they even started.

On his own now, Ben Kweller has a great chance to bring listeners back to rock and roll. Though his songs have an indie-rock edge, he's such a melodic savant that every single track is catchy. The first single, "Wasted and Ready," sounds like it should have topped charts five years ago, but after a half-decade of manufactured pop it's fresh once more. There are plenty of winners here, like the almost-alt-country "Family Tree," the lovely piano rock of "In Other Words" and the Beatles-esque throwback "Walk on Me."

Ben Kweller often sounds very familiar. You'll hear Beck, Ben Folds, Ozma and plenty of older rock mainstays in this album. You could accuse him of merely imitating others' success, but Kweller sounds like these musicians producing their best work. And he sounds like he's just getting started. Buy this album, enjoy it, and keep an eye on Ben Kweller to see if he lives up to the potential that's on display all over this album.

I too (like one of the reviewers above) just heard Ben Kweller play as the opening act for Dashboard Confessional and The Anniversary - just last night, in fact! And although I was there to see the headliners and their music was awesome, the real standout of the show to me was BK. I bought his CD at the show and listened to it over and over on the way home and this morning.
You've got to see this kid play live, I think, to appreciate the love-at-first-sight&sound thing that happened to me, but I was thrilled when I listened to the album and realized that even without being able to see the shaggy bowl cut and beautifully unselfconscious rockstar theatrics, all of his excitement and passion and musicianship comes across. It's infectious and wonderful.
BK is pretty much uncategorizable, which is part of what's so great about the music, but there are strains of really, really early Elton John, a little bit of Cat Stevens, definitely some Ben Folds, some skillfully spare guitar, some gorgeous piano, shreds of Beach Boys pop sensibility, and some really beautiful lyrics - often clever, sometimes perfectly placed to cut through some of the intensity of the music and keep it from being TOO sincere.
And the album, thank god, isn't overproduced - he makes beautiful use of space, and lets the music breathe.
I'm definitely seeing BK play again the next time he's in town - whoever the headliner happens to be.

Ben Kweller is the newest musical phenominon in the industry. Formely a member of minorly successful rock group Radish, Kweller after spending some time traveling the country, essembles a near perfect collection for his debut solo release. Amazon.com said it best when describing his mucic as melodic, somewhat rickety, frequently acoustic, piano-laced pop. If I had to choose who he sounds like most, I would say hes a mix between New Found Glory & Ben Folds, but the funny part is that at 20 years old, he is much more mature and writes lyrics that put both groups to shame.

The album has many standouts, though "Wasted & Ready" is hands down the album's best track. The album is rock music's biggest standout this year. While the entire album is noteworthy, the album's best numbers come in the form of personal experiences, such as "Family Tree" & "Falling". The album's smooth rock is something easy to swallow, but fans of a harder sound won't be disappointed either.

I'm looking forward to a lot more from Kweller. Hopefully a tour in support of the album, and some new material early next year. This album is very deserving of being on 2002's best albums list, and you can bet that it has made mine. From the first listen to the album, you are captivated and your attention isn't lost once. It seems now a days the best acts are the ones that aren't all dolled up and force-fed to the media. Kweller is a prime example of this. Please do not sleep on this album, I'm literally begging you.

"Sha Sha. Sha do." Following in the footsteps of Ben Folds, Ben Kweller is taking piano driven pop to a new level. This multi- instrumental 20-year-old from Texas is formerly of the band Radish, but went solo not too long ago. His debut album Sha Sha offers slightly cynnical, but infectiously happy acoustic effort.

Kweller's years of piano playing pay off in the first track, "How It Should Be (Sha Sha)," while he requests to not bother him while he's watching "Planet of the Apes on T.V." His lyrical comedy is featured in the first track, which says a lot about how he views life. A slut, sex, and spaghetti all combine to create one of the catchiest songs on the album, "Wasted and Ready."

His musical talent is apparent in the guitar playing on "Harriet's Got a Song," "No Reason," and "Commerce, TX," and his piano skills are looped in and out of the tracks on the CD. Songs like "Walk on Me," show the sometimes cynical and desperate aspect of love as he begs for mercy from cold hearted lover. "Falling," the final track on the CD, which appeared on the Mr. Deeds soundtrack, offers an upbeat ending to the rather indifferent sounds of the rest of the album.

Although at times non-chalant, Kweller exudes passion for music Sha Sha. The album, though rough around the edges, is a geniue, modest start for Kweller.. He still needs to mature lyrically, but he does have a good mix of comedy them--even if means rhyming "Sex reminds her of eating spaghetti/I am wasted but I'm ready." Sha Sha serves up some hope for a successful career for Kweller in the future.

While melodic and catchy, his lyrics remain introspective, yet youthful. And though some of the lyrics contain strange and ironic ideas, he still manages to embody "just want to be loved" ideal of late teens and early 20's. His enthusiasm for music shines through nonetheless, which enthusiasm alone for creating quality music and interesting lyrics are reason enough to invest some of your time in listening to Sha Sha.

Ben Kweller... where can you start with this guy? To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure why I bought this album looking back. It probably had to do with my love for Ben Folds and hearing about Kweller through the "Bens" project. When I went to buy the album, I wasn't sure what to expect, especially after seeing the cover shot of Ben brushing his teeth. But beyond the album cover is a musical voyage that takes you places that are somewhat recognizable but at the same time completely new and exciting.It's hard to describe how great this album is. It delivers on so many levels without really having any individual song that stands out. This album somehow captures it all. The undeniable talent of Kweller and the excellance that this album reaches really can be seen best by listening to this album the whole way through. I let a friend of mine listen to the album and the track he randomly picked was number 3, "Family Tree." He immediately wrote the album off as country. That's the beauty of this album, it's not country. Each song takes you somewhere new. The journey that a full listen from (1) "How it Should Be" to (11) "Falling" takes you so far across the grand spectrum of musical genres that you can't classify Ben and Sha Sha. The only classifciation for this young man's music is, well, good music. That's all you will find on Sha Sha. Whether it's the catchy hook and rock guitar on "Wasted and Ready" or the beauty of a simple, well written acoustic song like "Lizzy" or the piano driven songs that remind of us Ben Folds like "Falling" and "Make It Up," Ben Kweller finds away to touch so much on Sha Sha that you can't help listening to it again and again. A must buy for most music fans. At least give it a try. It's hard to be dissapointed with this album.

A few weeks back, a friend of mine brought me this CD. "You'll like this," she said. Well that was the understatement of the year for me. I pressed play and heard the opening piano riff and the goofy opening lines "when i was a movie star an asteroid hit the earth and prematurely ended my career." i knew that my friend and i were onto something right then. there is not a weak track on this 11-song album. it kicks off with the song "sha sha (how it should be)," a song that doesn't take itself too seriously, but kweller still slips in some interesting lyrics that seem quite sophisticated for someone his age. this pattern continues throughout the album. the songs may sound silly, but there are real messages and thoughts behind them. "wasted and ready" is a catchy pop-punk tune with some of my favorite bk lines in it ("i'm maxed out like a credit card"..."sex reminds her of eating spaghetti"). Other highlights include "Commerce TX," and "Falling." The album is both silly and serious. BK writes with wisdom beyond his years, but with a good sense of humor. I will be sure to catch him next month when he comes to D.C. Well done, Ben!

I first heard a couple of songs from 20 year-old Texan songwriter Ben Kweller on a late night talk show a few days before the release of his solo debut. I eagerly awaited the day of the release, hastily bought the CD and was not disappointed.

Kweller wrote all of the songs on the album, plays most of the instruments, and sings all of the vocals. He seems almost like Ben Folds: The Next Generation. There certainly seems to be more than a little influence from the piano great in Kweller's songs, along with a sound vaguely reminiscent of early Weezer.

However, Kweller does have his own voice. He is young for a songwriter and it shows. His songs are a good reflection on the innocence of youth without going into bubblegum territory a la Hanson. Near the beginning of the album, he talks about a girl who compares sex to "eating spaghetti", which he then rhymes with, "I am wasted but I am ready". The songs are catchy and stick with you, and there are some very impressive moments in the album (the ending to "In Other Words" is one of the best musical moments I've heard in a while).

Overall, I'm looking forward to seeing Mr. Kweller will progress in the next few years. While he does, I'll be listening to "Sha Sha" frequently.

I first saw Ben Kweller on tour with Dashboard Confessional, Legends of Rodeo, and the Anniversary. Any guy who can get up and do an acoustic version of "Ice, Ice Baby"- renamed "BK Baby"-is already great in my eyes. Fans of Weezer or Ben Folds Five should love it.
This CD runs the gamut of sounds; from the Beatles on "Family Tree" to Elton John on "In Other Words" to 60s pop like "Walk on Me". He also utilizes many different instruments, including French horns, violins, violas, cellos, and banjos.Also, the guys never underestimate the power of sticking random syllables into lyrics. "Wasted and Ready," the second track, is probably the most radio-friendly song off the CD, with a Weezer-like melody and a catchy chorus. The only song I disliked was "Lizzy" which sounded incredibly bland despite the great lyrics. The CD ends with "Falling," which has an intro that sounds very similar to the beginning of "How It Should Be." I am a firm believer in CD karma, so good job making the CD come full circle.
The only fault I could find was that "BK Baby" wasn't included! Overall, "Sha Sha" is a catchy CD made by adorable boys with an original sound...

I purchased his more recent album, On My Way, prior to purchasing this one. I was immediately a HUGE fan. I listen to that album twice a day every day. I LOVE it. This guy is very talented.

Now, about Sha Sha. This is a pretty darned good album. It has good songs, well played and it has a down to earth modestly produced sound that I love. Sha Sha also features a lot more crunchy guitars and piano than the lovably lo-fi On My Way. For better and worse...

On the down-side, Ben appears to still be searching for his sound. He goes from sounding like he is channeling Weezer (honestly, the second song, Wasted and Ready, is indistinguishable from Weezer) to sounding like the Old 97s (Family Tree), and then Ben Folds (In Other Words.) All great influences in my opinion. But his own sound, which is clearly evident on On My Way, is far more interesting.

My recommendation: buy it. It is a very good album from a very talented guy and it won't disappoint. Then buy On My Way.