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Elly Roberts reviews
Domino
- January 2007
- Rating: 8/10
Thirty-two year old Benjy Ferree is a one-off.Hes different, very different, to his peers, which is highly commendable.
This odd mish-mash of genuine Americana is a real box of musical tricks, butit not always easy on first listening. Mostly off-kilter in approach, itdraws you in for further analysis. Its main feature is Ferrees totallyfreewheeling approach, synonymous with early Bob Dylan its bold to a point.
It also possesses a unique warm charm, a rarity in a music world obsessedwith perfection, which Leaving The Nest isnt. Nevertheless, as a debut, itbodes well for the future as his songwriting gets into a stride.
Sun drenched In The Countryside starts with a grizzly guitar, similarto Steely Dan classic, Reeling In The Years, then flows into a jaunty andcatchy sing-along – a little beauty. Dogkillers is totally unexpected,as it displays a lot of Led Zeppelin at their roughest rock edges, andthumping sequences of riffs and pounding drums (Meg Whites immatureclattering comes to mind) by Laura Jean Harris Zeps Bonzo would be proudof this, even if its quite basic.
Then comes, what can only be described as outrageously bold. A countryplodder with swirling violin courtesy Burleigh Seaver. More violin featuresthe magnificent intro for The Desert, with Ferrees vocals hitting ahighpoint as it wanders along neatly to acoustic guitar and more sublimesticks, this time by Dennis Kane.
Melancholic Private Honeymoon, begins with a brilliant cappella vocal,which gets further violin treatment by Winston Yu: an absolute delight, andby far the most inventive, and beautiful song of the lot. On its back comes abelting country chugger Leaving The Nest which seems to containeverything but the kitchen sink, a real fun blast with plenty of foot-tappingopportunities, quickly segued by stomping Hollywood Sign as thecollective runs into party mode, in a country way of course.
Rapidly dropping the furious pace, a tad, They Were Here is a simplecountry and western ditty, yet another CD highlight. Just to prove hesmega-talented, he drops-in a wobbly blues harp (harmonica) to lead us into thequaintly playful Why Bother. As if this wasnt enough, Byrds-likejangly acoustic guitar and swooning cellos swirl around Ferrees stridingvocals throughout In The Woods.
Just like Damien Rices O, this is a real grower. Get into thesaddle and enjoy the ride.
Weblinks:benjyferree.com /dominorecordco.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. In The Countryside
2. Dog Killers
3. A Little At A Time
4. The Desert
5. Private Honeymoon
6. Leaving The Nest (Its A Long Way Down)
7. Hollywood Sign
8. They Were Here
9. Why Bother
10. In The Woods
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.