:: Ben Folds - Supersunnyspeedgraphic

Ben Folds

I must admit that I was late passenger on the Ben Folds bandwagon. During his days fronting the Ben Folds Five I found his antics and the smart arse nature of his lyrics too grating. He reminded me of that kid in school who always tried too hard to get attention and be accepted by every one. But the most annoying thing about those early days was that Ben Folds often hid his beautiful melodies and lyrics behind his smart arse facade. It felt like he was almost trying to stifle that great songwriter within him. But fortunately for us it never worked. For in each Ben Folds Five album, there were often two or three gems that managed to escape and hint that Folds was more than just a silly prankster. Songs like the haunting Brick from the much heralded Whatever and Ever Amen and the charming Lullabye, the last track of the final Ben Folds Five album, The Unauthorised Biography of Reinhold Messner, truly surprised listeners and generated a sense of anticipation for his solo debut.

It was in his two solo offerings, Rockin’ The Suburbs and Songs for Silverman where Ben Folds truly let his guard down and wasn't afraid to show his influences, whether those be early Elton Joel, Billy Joel or Barry Manilow. Folds truly didn't care about expectations and as a result both albums were a critical and commercial success. He is now packing out venues wherever he goes; he’s even taking international symphony orchestras along with him for the ride. Between his demanding touring schedules he’s managed to release a bunch of successful Internet only EPs and now, many of the tracks from those EPs have been pulled together in this breezy collection that is definitely more killer than filler.

Supersunnyspeedgraphic has what you’d expect from one of these types of compilations. You have your covers – some lovingly played (In Between Days), while others bastardised for full comic effect (Get Your Hands off My Woman). You also have the odd throwaway tracks like Adelaide – an ode to his part time home town that feels like it was written and recorded during the time that his producer went to make a cup of coffee. Then there are the tracks that make you groan and wonder just why Folds didn't save them for his proper albums. An example of this is the aching Bruised, which he recorded with Ben Kweller and Ben Lee as part of the Three Bens. It is a melancholy tale about the not so sweet side of relationships that would have fitted in nicely in Songs for Silverman. Another A-grade B-side is Still, a song which has been doing the rounds in his latest orchestral tours but even in the studio it manages to retain its splendour.

If someone told me that a few years ago I would be using words like beautiful and splendour to describe Ben Folds I wouldn‘t have believed it, but this is a great tribute to an artist that continues to grow with each release. If anyone of you is still pinning for that old smart arse, Ben Folds, check out his classic cover of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's 'Bitches Aint S**t’. It's interesting to say the least!