Despite the fact the Ben Folds music does not match the normal industry paradigm for success, he continues to thrive with his new live album, “Ben Folds Live.”
This career spanning disc contains songs from all his releases including both those he made with his former band mates and some from his first solo album.This album is composed of songs recorded on an eight track on Ben’s first solo piano tour. While some might complain that the recordings of these songs lack the drive of the originals, which were bolstered with the bass and drum accompaniments of his band, it becomes apparent that this is not a solo record during the song “Army.”
While all the tracks include crowd interaction, this one takes the cake. In this seminal performance, Ben conducts his audience to replace his lack of back-up members. Ben starts off by informing the crowd, “We’ve got enough people in here to get a bitchin’ horn section. So let’s cut the audience down the middle, this side saxophones this side trumpets.” What follows is a series of bomp, bomp, bahs that has never seen it’s parallel before or since.
Equally important to this album is Ben’s rendition of the Elton John classic “Tiny Dancer.” While some of Ben’s fans had probably never heard the song prior to seeing “Almost Famous”, he converts the classic into one of his own songs that fits seamlessly with his other material. The refrain is as timeless as ever, and Mr. Folds has no problem doing the opus justice.
Part of the reason that Ben is successful in spite of the fact that he is neither in a rock band or a piano-based ensemble, is that he writes songs that are real. They are so real in fact that they are true. Almost every tale of heartbreak and mischief on this album is a slice of man’s life. This could not be clearer as he explains the meaning of his most popular song “Brick.” Folds explains, that the song is about how he and his girlfriend had to get an abortion while they were still in high school. The song is devoid of political content, and works on a purely emotional level, which gives it the kind of basic human feeling that rarely appears in pop music.
Earnestness doesn’t always equate success, but this time it does.