College favorite Ben Folds is back and almost as good as ever (and ever, amen).
"Songs For Silverman" is Folds' first full-length studio release since his 2001 premier solo effort "Rockin' the Suburbs." He hardly abandoned his fans during this interim period however, as Folds released a live album and three EPs to let his listeners know what he was up to. Unfortunately, because of the inferior nature of almost all of the 15 songs on the EPs, many were worried that the modern day piano man was up to no good.
Thus, the improved technical aesthetics on "Silverman" come as a relief to those who thought the songwriter in Folds had lost his way.
Granted, to some extent, the songs of "Silverman" appear to be muted versions of previous tunes. The sad songs are never quite as emotive as Ben Folds Five classics such as "Brick" and "Evaporated," while the power chords and sneering lyrics are never quite as raucous as the anger ballads "Song for the Dumped" and "Army." Hovering in the middle of his emotional and musical capacity, Folds still manages to present an expert new product.
In contrast to "Rockin' the Suburbs," which was heavy on character narratives, "Silverman" appears to be a more personal collection of songs.
"Gracie," an extremely endearing tune, is sung to the musician's young daughter. While the father-to-child subject matter immediately creates the possibility for unbearable saccharine sappiness, instead the lullaby-like piano accompaniment and vividly sincere lyrics allow this song to be one of the standout tracks on the album and arguably even a breakthrough in Fold's entire body of work.
Perhaps it is the father in him that frequently causes Folds to take his lyrics into the didactic realm in "Silverman." The lines "It seems if you can't trust/You can't be trusted" and "The more you know you know you don't know shit," have certainly been orated more poetically in the past.
Folds' position as the wise and faithful piano rocker, however, allows such axiomatic lyrics to fly comfortably under the radar. The guy wears his glasses on stage, for goodness sake.
There are a few false starts on the album. While the opener, "Bastard," is musically appealing and sounds superficially like the irreverent Folds of yore, upon closer listening the lyrics seem disjointed and less biting than the earnest vocals suggest.
"Jesusland," presumably Folds' ironic ode to capitalism and the increasingly religious state of the nation, sounds distractingly similar to "The Ascent of Stan." Musings on "Beautiful McMansions on a hill/that overlook a highway" seem a bit pedestrian compared to the musician's usually-astute songwriting.
If comparison is the name of the game, Folds does provide enough catchy and contemplative tracks on "Silverman" to put the album on par with his past releases (both with and without his trio of Five).
Folds turns up the volume to pianoforte with the toe-tapping single "Landed." The powerful piano in the song gives the listener faith that the tracks from Silverman will be positive additions to Folds' nearly-legendary live show.
While the songs of "Silverman" are for the most part not the epitome of Ben Folds' musical endeavors, the album as a whole is able to rock the suburbs just fine. At the very least, the release is an act of contrition from Folds after the rather shameful incidents that were his ill-advised EPs.
