If there were any true justice in this world, Ben Lee would be a pop star instead of the crap that gets pushed down the American Idol watching throats of America. As someone who has been a fan of Ben Lee for as long as he has been making records (that’s damn near 15 years now) I’ll be the first to admit that many of his songs are full of cheese and corn but, there is no denying that the guy has a knack for melody. On Rebirth Of Venus (his eighth full-length solo album) Lee seems to recapture much of the luster I thought was vacantly absent from his last album, Ripe. It’s fun, playful and, in short, he’s made me a fan again.
Where the clunkier lyrics that made Ripe sound (at times) like the soundtrack to a boring made-for-video romantic comedy, there is just enough “umph” and an almost carefree attitude permeating Rebirth Of Venus that makes the lyrical missteps palatable and even endearing. I’m not saying that this album is perfect, but neither is Ben Lee. He’s the guy that unsuccessfully dated Claire Danes (who starred alongside Jared Leto in that one show and I bring this up now because I don’t hate 30 Seconds To Mars as embarrassing as that might be) and is now married to actress Ione Skye. He is the former Aussie wunderkind who has actually managed to continue making relevant (even if a little tame) music that I basically enjoy. He has successfully done everything from stereotypical singer/songwriter acoustic pop songs to stuff that’s electronics-laden and beat-heavy to pseudo-adult-contemporary-indie-pop. On Rebirth Of Venus, Lee seems to have found somewhat of a middle-ground and I’m just fine with that.
MP3 | Ben Lee – Surrender Rebirth Of Venus
MP3 | Ben Lee – Yoko Ono Rebirth Of Venus
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