Ben was among my first followers when I joined Twitter in 2009 (THE first, if I remember correctly.). I remember seeing this long(ish)brown-haired fellow with a guitar…of course, I instantly followed when I saw he was in the arts, and I can’t remember if he inboxed me, but I remember a link to his latest song was involved and he asked me to give it a listen. Little did I know, he was on television the previous year, but I didn’t watch the programme about showcasing up-and-coming talent. It was now some defunct channel on Sky under the music package (Entertainment package?), which introduced me to plenty of up-and-coming talent like Chip, who was then known as Chipmunk and was still a teenager. The channel in question was either called Muzik or FlashTV. The show Ben would have been on was filmed weekly from the Old Oak in North-West London. After hearing the song in question, I became a follower of his music as I was very impressed with his melancholic vocals, guitar playing, and songwriting ability. Unfortunately, he has flown under the mainstream radar because he isn’t known as much as someone like Ed Sheeran. Ben is more on the same commercial level as Ed’s mate, Passenger. 

However, Ben is highly talented. It seems unfair that he has largely gone by in the commercial market.

Unlike Ed, Ben likes to stay with familiarity, which has probably seen him less prominent. However, the Richmond Songwriter’s debut album “Every Kingdom” in 2011 did have platinum sales.

Ben is about to get more adventurous as this record is more like swimming with sharks outside a protected cage rather than having the security of being inside one. The album reminded me of the late John Martyn’s work with its roots in soft Jazz. Aaron Dressner, who plays the guitar for the National, has encouraged Ben to take a leaf out of their book. Indeed, the National is known for loops and many guitar effects, which can be heard on this record. So, it was the correct decision to get Aaron on board to push Ben artistically.

Of course, Ben hasn’t strayed that far from his subject matters of conscious stories either of his own life or what he has heard during conversations, from individuals, places he has been, or simply by watching television or reading, and of course, based upon his imagination. The stories range from a conversation with a friend who found a dead body in a suitcase floating down the Thames, the death of a sailor and Anna Sorokin, the Russian fraudster. So, a lot has stayed the same regarding the type of songs he writes and the lyrics. As you can see, Ben is still on heavy and gloomy subjects.

Despite new ideas dreamed up with Aaron, Ben does go back to what he knows with “What a Day”, which draws familiarity with tracks off “Every Kingdom”, his debut record. Even though Ben has taken a new direction, he has managed to make the simplicity of his songs come to life on this album, which shows on “Metaphysical Cantations” or “Sage that She was Burning”. “Buzzard” is quite intriguing. By far the shortest track on the record, weighing in at just 56 seconds. I like how Aaron and Ben have got the guitar to ape what the bird sounds like. Could it have been longer? I can’t see why it couldn’t have been at least another minute or so.

“Follies Fixture” is my favourite track and surprised me with its soft Jazz and melancholic lyrics. Like I said earlier, most of the album had a John Martyn feel, and I noticed this track opens the record. I may have said “Buzzard” closes the album, but on the deluxe version, there are edited versions of “What a Day” and “Sorry Kid”. I want Ben to pick up the electric and release his inner rock star on his next album. I hope that by working with Aaron and conjuring up original ideas to make the songs stand out more sonically, Ben can get the recognition in the mainstream, which he deserves because he is more than easily a match for the other acoustic-wielding songwriters and musicians.

Song recommendations: “Follies Fixture”, “Sorry Kid”, “What a Day”

7/10