Ben Howard - Every Kingdom

 

There must be something in the air down in the West Country, as over the years it has churned out more exciting musical talent than cheese and cider, one of them being twenty three year old Ben Howard.

Originating from South Devon, Ben grew up listening to the likes of Jeff Buckley and Joni Mitchell, which appear to have heavily influenced the music he’s been writing over the years and that now appears on his debut album ‘Every Kingdom’.

The album begins with ‘Old Pine’, which was released as a single earlier this year. The first minute or so of the song is a build up of instrumentals, which set the tone for what’s to come from the rest of the album.

One of the traits of Ben’s music is to layer his vocals on top of each other to create haunting harmonies that make for an almost enchanting listen. From the first track, it is a clear this album is a triumph, there’s so much texture to the music, with bass drums, cello and tambourines giving more of a dramatic edge.

As the album progresses his nimble fingers pluck the strings in a majestic fashion while mixing in percussion slaps on the guitar, a skill that not many can master, therefore only emphasising the talent Ben Howard has.

The album also includes previously released singles ‘The Wolves’ and ‘Keep Your Head Up’. Even though they didn’t exactly chart high, both have incredible rhythm and gained Ben the recognition he deserves. The music video for ‘Keep Your Head Up’ also probably has one of the best concepts ever, who wouldn’t enjoy building and riding down a ridiculously large water slide that runs through the countryside? The single is an excellent self-esteem booster with lyrics “keep your head up/keep your heart strong’ which, when accompanied with the excellent guitar playing can only leave you with a smile.

Not every track is filled with happy melodies though, songs such as ‘Black Flies’ and ‘Gracious’ have more of an edge to their sound, the lyrics are mournful and the pace has slowed to create a different type of mood. Not to say these are the worst of the songs, they’re probably just not the ones to listen to if you are feeling a bit down in the dumps!

There have been many folk-pop artists appearing recently and it may seem that there surely can’t be room for anymore? But Ben Howard is an artist that every folk fan should make space for in their record collection. If you enjoy the likes of Newton Faulkner, Jack Johnson and Damien Rice then there is no doubt that ‘Every Kingdom’ will be up there in your favourites.

Ben Howard has also recently started his album tour, so if you like what you hear then check out the dates at www.facebook.com/benhowardmusic

The Boys Are Back In Town!

This time last year we were routing on the girls and their guitars when it came to music, with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Florence and the Machine and Laura Marling hitting the airwaves at an alarming pace! Fast forward on twelve months and it looks like the boys are pushing the ladies to the side while they take on the industry with acoustic guitars and hauntingly good vocals.

Some of you may have read my previous blog posts about the wonderful Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Charlie Simpson. But it seems that they are just two of many fuzz-faced gentleman releasing albums recently.

Charlie released his album Young Pilgrim on the 15th August, which at first looked unlikely to happen as unfortunately all of the copies of Young Pilgrim were burnt to a cinder in the Sony Warehouse fire during the London Riots. But thankfully him and his team managed to get a whole new load of Cd's produced and released on the 15th! I have been a fan of Charlie ever since his face adorned my bedroom walls back in his Busted days, so was overly excited to find out he was releasing solo material, and he has most definitely done himself proud!
Young Pilgrim is a lyrically mournful album with many songs relating to losing someone close which i am sure many can relate too. However Charlie has teamed his words with the perfect instruments and harmonies that can just wind through your mind with each listen.

It has also been rumoured that Robert Pattinson co-wrote some of the songs with Charlie for Young Pilgrim, although Simpson isn't the only person Pattinson has helped write music for.

Bobby Long is a 26 year old British singer-songwriter originally from the south-west, however now resides on the other side of the Atlantic where he tours constantly. Bobby moved to London in 2004 to attend University, where he met the now pale skinned, vampire heartthrob Robert Pattinson. Twilight fans would know that Pattinson recorded a song called Let Me In for the first Twilight soundtrack, which, in fact was written by Bobby Long. From then on Bobby's career has gone from strength to strength, his voice is soulful and enchanting and his music beautifully written. He released his album A Winter Tale at the beginning of February this year and although he is yet to 'break' the UK he is definitely one to keep an eye one as i think we will be hearing much more of him in the future.

Another recent discovery of mine has been 23 year old Ben Howard from Devon, (must be something in the country air!) His album Every Kingdom is to be released on October 3rd of this year and will include previously released tracks Old Pine and The Wolves. If these tracks are anything to go by we can expect some remarkable vocals mixed with some country folk guitar playing similar to that of Newton Faulkner.

Taking a slightly different route with his guitar is fiery haired Ed Sheeran. His single the A Team has been sweeping our ears constantly with it getting a very large amount of air time on radio's across the country and has thrown him into the spotlight. Unlike others though Ed is very much inspired by the underground grime scene and has become good friends with the likes of Example and Wretch 32. This evidently makes him a very exciting newcomer because he's different to so many acoustic artists around. His debut album + is to be released on September 12th and has the potential to be one of the best albums of 2011. Simply because it has such a mix of genres flowing through it. He has the lyrical stature of big name Hip Hop and Grime artists, yet also a singing voice that could make even the hardest of butters melt. With such a large fan base and industry backing, i wouldn't be surprised if Ed will be selling out some of the biggest venues in the UK within a few months.

So there we go, my tips for the top! I can only strongly urge all of you to check out each of these artists as I'm sure they will be loved by many!

Happy Listening!

Benjamin Francis Leftwich: Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm

Ever since i got my hands on a copy of this album it has been played non-stop on my iTunes/iPod.  It is quite difficult to actually try and sum up how beautiful this record is!
I first head about Benjamin Francis Leftwich whilst listening to Huw Stephens' show on Radio 1, in which he interviewed Ben and played his track Box of Stones which i instantly fell in love with.

From beginning to end of his debut album Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm Ben's enchanting vocals and harmonies swirl around your head and the acoustic guitar is the perfect accompaniment to them. As soon as I pressed play I went off into my own little zone of calm and peacefulness, which i thoroughly enjoyed, each song fills you more and more with this warming feeling which i am sure is desired by many.

The tracks on the album are all quite similar in style, there isn't a track that stands out as being 'more up-beat' than the others or anything of the like, which has been a fuel for criticism from the press. However this is what Benjamin Francis Leftwich does and it is what he does best and i cannot find a single fault with it. This is an album to accompany you on a long journey somewhere, one to sit down and enjoy on a rainy afternoon with a nice cuppa!

If you're one who tends to get bored of songs and frequently skip tracks then it probably isn't for you, but for anyone who are fans of Newton Faulkner, Charlie Simpson, Bobby Long, Laura Marling, Ellie Goulding etc i would expect nothing less than pure love for this record. Personal favourites include; Box of Stones, Pictures, 1904 & Shine but each song truly is wonderfully written.

Ben will be touring throughout the UK during October, as well as appearing at a number of music festivals in the last months of the summer season. To see a full listing of the show dates go to his website here