[REVIEW] - SFS - Metro 25th Apr 2005

Metro is a free daily paper for commuters in the UK:

-----
Ben Folds: Songs for Silverman - ** (out of 5)
Reviewed by Ben East

Thanks to Rufus Wainwright and Keane, the piano is back in vogue - so Ben Folds (no longer with his Five but working with a band for the first time in five years) would seem to have resurfaced at exactly the right moment. He's neither as exciteable as the former or as poppy as the latter, though, which means Songs for Silverman comes across as a Tori Amos album voiced by a man: quirky and redolent of American college towns in the autumn, but ultimately forgettable. The problem is that even nerds have to grow up, so a guy who once set a doomed romance to a polka is now writing about his daughter (twice) and a dead friend. The fact that the friend is Elliott Smith is affecting, and there's nothing wrong with growing up, but Folds' voice is too thin and his piano too jaunty to carry off any emotional depth.
-----

~A

That's a sucky review but surely can't be accurate? I still haven't heard this album, but I'm betting it can't be as bad as that!

I think reviewers aren't accepting SFS for what it is. They're expecting to hear One Angry Dwarf or Philosophy rehashed in a different key with a different time signature instead of understanding that Ben's style has changed quite a bit from the days the the five. Saying that, I think out of RTS and SFS, the later is much closer to what Ben was turning out when he was with the five in regards to style.

It will be interesting to see what other reviews come out of the woodwork and what they say about Ben's new album. Personally, I wouldn't say I'm blown away with it, but there are some parts which are pure Ben genious!

-- Horgz

There are two songs for Gracie on the album? Must have missed that second one...

wow that was a sh*tty review. Well, what can you say (FREE PAPER)

You know one day when the metro doesnt reach the house (at least one member of my family r subject to public transport minimum once a day, where the metro is usually released) and theres a bf review in it. kinda good job it didnt as id have been insulted. ive had a busy day trecking all over the place and havent reached a hmv(tho if its in music zone it'll be mine by tomorrow!) so u kno still without sfs...not that ive heard it but they cant be appreciating ben for what he really is. they dont understand. *harsh language here* lol

all the reviewers want to hear is another song like 'brick'... then ben puts out an amazing single 'landed' and they tear it up.

oh well, it doesn't matter what they think, right?

 
maximonline.com    4 of 5 stars

Making twinkly piano rock cool with the kids is a losing battle, and thankfully Ben Folds doesn’t even try, sticking to the sappy-yet-honest formula that’s kept his fan base loyal for a decade. But age is catching up with Ben, his irreverence being slowly replaced with more than a dash of adult contemporary. Yet when he’s on (the ready-for-college-radio “Landed” and the Elliott Smith  tribute “Late”), this piano man is still master of his domain.

C4 Teletext (whose reviews I normally trust) gave it 6/10, saying it was one-paced but justifiably so, or something like that.

3 stars in the Times at the weekend too, which is pretty respectable for them.  I think they said something similar.

Speaking personally, I think it's a four star effort where Rockin' The Suburbs was a five.

I'm not sure I like SFS that much yet, but I haven't listened to it as much as I'd like to yet...

However, this:

"comes across as a Tori Amos album voiced by a man..."

...is ludricrous, in my opinion.  That's one of the dumbest comments I've ever seen by any critic about any artist.