ben howard "every kingdom"

ben howard´s music is often described as folk. would you agree? i would but only to a certain extent. his long awaited debut album “every kingdom” finally dropped last monday (october 3^rd) and i think it´s safe to say that all the waiting was definitely worth it.

“every kingdom” proves that a guitar and a good (singing) voice is basically all you need to record a brilliant album. of course it´s not just ben and his guitar but they pretty much create the essence of the record. providing outstanding backing vocals and a fantastic sound to “every kingdom” are india bourne (on bass, cello etc.) and chris bond (on drums, double bass etc.). the album was released through island records and is available in various versions.

tracklist:

old pine (album version)

diamonds

the wolves

everything

only love

the fear

keep your head up

black flies

gracious

promise

bonus tracks (deluxe edition):

these waters

empty corridors (live)

under the same sun

bones

i will be blessed

move like you want to (live)

the most obvious and at the same time the most significant thing about ben howard´s music is his guitar play. he simply does things with his guitar that i´ve never seen other people do. his tunes are catchy and well-written. the album provides us with the perfect mix of uplifting pop-folk numbers (like “keep your head up”, “only love” and “the wolves”) and wonderful ballads (sort of) (like “gracious” and of course “promise”) that are purely made for dreaming. one thing i can say for sure after seeing him live, there´s no difference voice-wise between the record and his life performance which of course is sadly not the case with lots of other artists. 

 "the wolves"

another thing that struck me actually the most after i listened through the album a few times, was that it´s clear (to me) that some songs are clearly made for live performances while others are really simply album tunes (if you know what i mean).

“diamonds”, “black flies” and definitely “the wolves” are some of the songs on “every kingdom” that sound good on record but still much better live. the album versions of those songs sound a little like they´re played low-key while it feels like ben and his crew are turning up the volume to the highest level when they play those songs live (again, if that actually makes any sense to you).

 "black flies" live @haldern pop festival 2011

then there are songs like “bones” and “promise” that already sound so amazing on record that i just can´t imagine them played live. it feels like there´s not another level of brilliancy they could possibly reach by playing those songs live, but of course i´m always willing to learn, so maybe i´ll change my opinion in two weeks at the ruby lounge.

as mentioned before, there are some great backing vocals by chris and india throughout the entire album. “empty corridors” for example really shows off india´s beautiful voice while chris makes the vocals in “everything” work very well.  

and while we´re on the subject of “everything” – this not my favourite track of the album but it´s the only one that really sounds like it was recorded live (even though it doesn´t say it´s a live version). intentional or not, it gives the song a great live-vibe which makes this song a pleasure to listen to.

 "promise"

 

some of you may know by now that i generally focus on string arrangements and “these waters” is the perfect example on “every kingdom”, highlighting the beautiful cello sounds by india.

my personal favourite is “the fear” though. mostly because of the lyrics which are simply amazing and so fitting right now but everything about this song from vocals and guitar to harmony and sound in general make this song simply one of the best i´ve heard in a long time. 

 "the fear" live and acoustic for secret sessions

back to the original question: is ben howard´s music folk? overall it probably is but it sure is filled with pop and even indie elements from time to time. it´s not quite folk, definitely not just pop and not really indie either – it´s simply a mix of it, a great mix one might say.

ben howard is on tour across the uk and europe this fall. lots of the uk dates are already sold out but if you can, try to catch him live somewhere. tickets are available here.

“every kingdom” is now available via ben´s website, amazon (remember, amazon ships worldwide), itunes (uk, usa, canada) and of course in every good record shop in the uk.