Ben Jelen
Give It All Away
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With its delicate piano work and gradual build into a huge pop hook, Ben Jelen's debut single, "Come On," is poetic pop perfection à la Michelle Branch or Ben Folds. His first full-length outing consists of delicate pop gems end-to-end, including such charmers as "Rocks," "Every Step" and "Christine.
For young male popsters such as ben Jelen, earnestness is more than just a mode of being -- it's a weapon. Give It All Away teems with piano-driven soft rock. It's a specialty for some - Elton John, Billy Joel -- but Jelen suggests nothing so much as Richard Marx without the strong songwriting. "Come On" and "Give It All Away" open with maudlin piano figures and, thanks to Jelen's breathiness
Read More and clumsy songwriting, never recover. The most coherent songs, "Stay" and "Christine," are both Matrix creations, and it's clear why the production team was brought in. The Matrix's signature decaying guitars and measured percussion evoke longing far better than this post-teen's unchecked ramblings ever could.
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