Way to Normal

I'm an old Ben Folds Five fan. I haven't heard anything until today since he went Internet. This means Songs for Silverman was new to me today as well as Way To Normal. Honestly, Way To Normal was just ok. I knew I would grow to love it, but as I'm currently listening to Songs for Silverman, Way To Normal doesn't hold a candle. I guess I am getting old...or something.

I never thought I would one day stop being a fan of Ben Folds, but this CD did it. No matter what he says, it is a divorce CD and not a good one at that. Leaving aside whether it's mature to record hate songs against the mother of your kids for them to hear, the album is uneven and tries to hard to be clever. The fun hooks and interesting story telling are largely absent. It just doesn't measure up to the old days. I miss the Five.

Ben Folds steps out from behind the piano to deliver an album with lots of electronic keyboard work. His humor shines in songs like "Effington", "The Frown Song" and "The Bitch Went Nuts". His contemplative side shows in "Cologne" and "Kylie from Connecticut". For a Ben Folds fan the album is a gem and showcases his growth as a composer and musician.

Before Way to Normal was released Ben and friends spent a single session recording fake songs that were mashed together and "leaked" them with the same name of songs on this album. Genius. But the scary part is, those songs sound more like Ben than any of the songs on this album. They aren't overworked and they don't try too hard - ironically, the fake songs are more genuine than the real ones.
That being said, I love Ben. He continues to prove that he can crap a record and the faithful will scoop it up and look for meaning to make it their own. He has true talent which makes you think he is destined for greatness until you hear this album and reconsider. I don't want to hear music that sounds like an inside joke that I wasn't let in on, I want to hear real music so this album doesn't even fall in my top 100 (even though Ben remains my number one).

An absolute must-have for all Ben Folds fans. Folds continues to blow my mind by creating the most awesome music ever that won't really fit into any one genre. My kids love it too - at least the songs that aren't dropping the F-bomb. If you're a fan of any type of music, please check this one out - RIGHT NOW!