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Ben Arthur may not be a name you know. But it should be.
And on March 23 you will have your chance to find out exactly
why you should recognize the name… that's the day that Edible
Darling hits stores. Perhaps you will be one of the lucky
ones to be there to buy it. And then you may pop it into your
car cd player, where you will undoubtedly bop along to the catchy
tunes as you are driving home. Then you will put it into your
home system and start to realize there is so much more to this
album than a car stereo could possibly tell you. And then, about
five listens in, when you sit down to the dinner table, you say
to yourself… "Oh my! This record is so much more than
I thought it was just ten minutes ago."
From the opening scratches of "Mary Ann" right up until
the hauntingly yearning sound of "Jesus On My Knees"
Edible Darling will keep you listening, revealing new intricacies
with each and every listen. There are straight up pop songs, as
well as acoustic numbers, rife with the personal feeling that
a gifted songwriter can provide. "Mary Ann" kicks the
record off, and I promise you will soon find your foot tapping.
It is an amazingly well produced song with incidental noises to
spare (my favorite being the scratchy-scritchy scratches) and
a Material Issue-esque vibe. Arthur obviously grew up listening
to John Lennon, and was influenced by his cheeky lyrical
style, "The older I get the more I realize/ The best I
can hope for is compromise." The song "Tonight"
gives Pete Yorn a run for his money, with its delicate
acoustic music and downbeat introspective tempo. There are strong
country roots on "Keep Me Around" and Del Amitri
style folk-rock on "Edible Darling". But the key here
is that behind all the brilliance of the music and arrangements,
there is solid and incredible songwriting. "Your eyes
were Andean blue enamel/ Remorseless but tired/ We breathed through
the stillness/ Tried to read solace in the air."
Anyone who truly appreciates the craft of a great songwriter will
surely fall in love with Ben Arthur. Conversely, those who just
want a great record to play as a brilliant soundtrack to their
own life will also find a good match in Edible Darling.
Every track is a gem, and all the moods are there… everything
one could possibly want from a great album. Find it, if you know
what's good for you.
-Embo Blake
Track listing:
1. Mary Ann
2. Tonight
3. Broken-Hearted Smile
4. End Of The Day
5. Mercy
6. Instrumental #3
7. Keep Me Around
8. Edible Darling
9. Bloomed
10. Sight Of Your Tears
11. Wake
12. Jesus On My Knees
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Ben Arthur 
