Ben Kweller - Changing Horses (2009)

By Chris Wood

Ben Kweller is back.

Ben Kweller Changing Horses Tracks 1. Gypsy Rose 2. Old Hat 3. Fight 4. Hurtin' You 5. Ballad Of Wendy Baker 6. Sawdust Man 7. Wantin' Her Again 8. Things I Like To Do 9. On Her Own 10. Homeward Bound

He comes in a slightly different form, yet still with his unabashed and inimitable charm.

The pocket sized Texan's latest long player, "Changing Horses" is his fourth studio effort to date and does not succumb to any pressure on the back of the monumental success of his preceding releases.

Although "Changing Horses" is heralded as Kweller's foray into a more country aesthetic, you can't help but get the feeling that rather than him exploring new territory, it is more that he has come to a realisation.

It is true that songs like Gypsy Rose, Fight, and Things I Like To Do are country songs.

Yet the rest, although laden with all manner of pedal-steel guitars and anything else that breathes country, would definitely feel at home on any other Kweller record.

Basically, I would regard Kweller as an alt-country folk artist - and always have to some extent.

He is a story teller by nature, and as such, is well suited to the "yesterday's pain, tomorrow's joy" pop lyrical freedom that alternate country affords.

Gypsy Rose kicks off with a single sultry guitar, picking in a style not unlike Elliot Smith's Sweet Adeline. However it is not long before this is met with Kweller’s yanky drawl, proclaiming "Oh, Gypsy Rose, I will wait for yer sun to shine".

Slowly romping through in a Black Keys style, we are met with a 3/4 pre-chorus that bespeaks unopposed originality and makes this in utterly captivating choice of opening track.

It's something which Ben Kweller fans of old will also remember on "Sha Sha" with How It Should Be.

First single, Sawdust Man, is a delightful dalliance that ticks a few boxes on the 'Is it a Country Song?' questionnaire.

1: Mentions work day and payment - Tick.
2: Speaks of transportation – Tick.
3: Reference to singer's girlfriend, and how happy he will be when he eventually sees her – Tick.

The only boxes left unchecked are sentiments of loneliness, as well as a line or two about a loyal hound.

Don't get me wrong, because this is an unbelievably enjoyable and well put together song - it wouldn't sound out of place on Billy Joel's "52nd Street" album.

Fight is a toe-tapping and car sing along hoe-down from the very first moment you listen to it on the way home from buying it at the record store (I'll take this opportunity to undoubtedly clear that tapping your feet whilst driving isn't recommended).

With all the bells and whistles you would come to expect on a country sonic sound scape, (well replace bells and whistles with honky-tonk piano, three-part harmony and a lap steel guitarist named Kitt Kitterman), Kweller is at his charming best, and is equally as compelling.

He professes, "You've got to set your sights on the Lord in your life". A concept that sounds so immeasurably simple, yet manages to elude so many.

Kweller bespeaks absolute honesty as he claims "I'm like my grandma short but I stand tall, playing every card that's dealt to me".

Even those of you who only enjoy the hardest of the hard-nosed country music performers out there, those tortured souls who have lived throughout their own private hell, and now recount their plight through formulaic 4-chord ballads of misery, will enjoy Kweller’s gentle, yet undeniably powerful presence on "Changing Horses".

You have to hand it to Ben Kweller.

If you were to consider his back catalogue in some arbitrary conceptual framework, these trio of LP's that make up said framework gave him a few possible career avenues for subsequent releases.

However, figuratively speaking, he has cautiously stood by this potential pop-sensation formula, only tinkering with it on occasions. 

I am unashamedly reminded of the Yoda quote "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will...". He has balked at the idea of substituting commercially viable pop music at the expense of his catchy, yet wholesome tunes to 'salve the soul'.

Unlike a certain bunch of country rockers turned pop-idols, Kweller has maintained, and will continue to cultivate his ever-growing audience with his high-class and honest tunes, combined with his keen desire for touring.

Essentially, he is sticking to what he does best, and as such is rewarded with enthusiastic crowds on a substantial touring schedule.

Although it wont be heralded as the 'Must have album of the Year' by a swarm of print media columnists, it serves as a fitting and logical chapter in the Ben Kweller journey, and will reserve its rightful place in the annals of musical history.

Highly recommended.

RATING: 4 out of 5

Brought To You By The Dwarf