Blunt yet beautiful, Ben Folds’ music continues on its collaborative path with So There, which enlisted the help of the spectacular ensemble yMusic and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. It’s his first since the grand reunion of the eponymous 90s powerhouse Ben Folds Five and once again we find that he’s leaned a little harder towards the emotional than the quirky. And while The Sound of the Life of the Mind showed that the old band could get back together to ride again with aged sensibilities, So There is an outing that hands-down proves that musical maturation comes from the very creative core of Mr. Folds.
It’s been a long journey to this point of realization in his career. Folds came out from the disbanding of his Five with a fire to prove piano rock was alive and well with the release Rockin’ the Suburbs, presenting fans with a direction that moved more towards Brick than Song for Dumped. But the playful nature of songs with a less than jovial subject matter never died, it simply grew up. As he sings in this album, “I’m not the man…I used to be.”
And while I love to visit Folds’ back catalog, the beautiful amalgamation of themes gathered throughout his lengthy career this time around means fans will be able to listen to So There without pining for the days of records past. We receive masterfully crafted orchestrations performed with just the right temperament to deliver the life-learned messages some lyricists never get quite right, giving us our share of the inclusive, playful nature that makes Ben Folds so appealing. Even songs like Concerto For Piano and Orchestra, Movements 1-3, that showcase the technical abilities of all those involved in the album, find a way to uncover smiles on listeners’ faces. It’s music written to call itself out for being too serious at all the right moments—a self-deprecating friend who cracks a joke after giving some tough love.
In short, So There isn’t Ben Folds Five, it isn’t Songs for Silverman part 2, it isn’t a botched attempt at fan service; it’s a new Ben Folds inviting us in to cry with him, laugh with him and stand in awe of what he can do with the help of some friends. This is an experiment gone right. It’s Ben showing us what he’s loving in this moment and he’s doing it all while winding up onstage to throw his stool at the keyboard once again.
Score: 4.6/5
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJttpMjPClA[/youtube]
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