Folds showcases a magnificent body of work here.
This retrospective set from Ben Folds could equally have been titled 63 Songs for the Dumped. For the majority of his time, Folds' songwriter's eye is focussed on plate-smashing and loneliness and other torrid traits of relationships gone awry. But his three ex-wives and countless girlfriends' loss is the listener's gain, because over two decades the North Carolina musician has served up power-pop that crackles with energy, with lyrics which have come to mean much to fans who've lived their own lives to a soundtrack from Ben and his buddies.
Folds' critics posit that he veers towards the twee, and on occasion this can be true. Yet delve deeper into the Folds catalogue and a much truer picture of the man and his music is revealed. Look at the highlights here: Smoke is a powerful story about the end of an affair, delicately rendered. It touched writer Nick Hornby, who later penned the lyrics to an album's worth of songs with Folds, Lonely Avenue – represented here by Picture Window. Still, Brick and Evaporated are three more achingly beautiful tales of heartbreak.
Lees de rest van deze review op BBC CD recensies (Engels)
Bron: BBC Music