Ben Cooley Hall - Owning Up to a Life

  by Anthony Middleton

published: 12 / 12 / 2009

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This is one of these funny records that I hated on the first listen, but with a couple more plays found myself, if not loving it, then at least admiring and wanting to listen again. This is largely due to a large slice of playfulness and quirky humour, both lyrical and musical, which runs like a seam of gold through the delicate folk terrain. There are a scattering of great melodic songs such as 'Sunny Day', a jaunty Randy Newmanesque piano driven piece that is, of course, less sunny that it first appears, although this is disguised this with legions of horns. 'Come to Care' is more delicate, with Cooley Hall’s not particularly strong voice struggling to match the quality of his songwriting. At times the quirky inventiveness threatens to overspill into grating odd-for-the-sake-of-odd territory. This never really happens and is perhaps always saved by the quality of the musicianship (most of the instruments are played by the man himself) and the fine, catchy pop instinct that is refined by the alt.country accents. 'Dependable Downer' is an infectious powerful song, sort of reminiscent of Weezer and other smart aleccy American college bands. 'Untrue' is a more direct emotional song with appropriate country style backing. The album has three short pieces, or 'Dream Excerpts', which give the album a structure and variation which adds to the overall sense of a musician attempting, and largely succeeding, to produce a musically varied album, but one which works as a whole.

Track Listing:-

1 Dream Excerpt No. 1 (Odd Little Man)
2 Sunny Day
3 After the Fall
4 Come to Care
5 Dream Excerpt No. 2 (Down to the Lake)
6 Ginger Ale
7 Dependable Downer
8 Compromise
9 Untrue
10 Dream Excerpt No. 3 (Better Way)
11 Lot More Coming

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