Brendan Benson's Debut...Plus Some Special Bonus Material
Written: Jan 17 '06
Product Rating:
Pros: Amazing songwriting talent, interesting melodies, The Wellfed Boy EP
Cons: Not entirely cohesive, his voice sometimes wears on me...
The Bottom Line: If you're a fan of Benson, prove it. One Mississippi/The Wellfed Boy EP is a must-own for any level of Benson listener. I like it and so should you.
lambchops's Full Review: One Mississippi/The Wellfed Boy EP by Brendan Bens...
While it may have taken until the last few years for Michigan native Brendan Benson to garner any real attention, he actually made his debut in the mid-1990s. One Mississippi was originally released by Virgin in 1996 and in conjunction with the rare EP The Wellfed Boy helped to earn him minor praise. Startime reissued the two releases on one disc in 2003 to a whole new eager fan base. The album was in truth much better suited to the new decade than the old as the indie pop sound is increasingly popular.
Benson hails from the great state of Michigan but is based out of Berkeley (California). He was fortunate enough to land the aforementioned deal with Virgin at the age of 26. Despite the early support for the album, the label’s woes injured the success of One Mississippi. Following the disappointing sales of his debut, Benson eventually released 2002’s Lapalco independently. It took until nearly a decade after his first album for a return to the majors. V2 picked him up and released the outstanding The Alternative to Love in 2005.
Having been fond of both Lapalco and The Alternative to Love, I couldn’t help but wonder about One Mississippi and The Wellfed Boy. Fortunately, the aforementioned compilation of the two releases is now widely available after the surprise success of Benson’s second album. Where did Benson get his start? How good are that first album and that first EP? All my questions have been answered thanks to this innocuous looking pink CD. The music it contains is gleeful, quaint, entertaining, and lovely. Brendan Benson is a truly irresistible singer-songwriter. While I found both Lapalco and The Alternative to Love to be complete, mature albums this one is something less polished and less purposeful. Even without the extra flourishes and maturity, Benson is clearly talented. His songs are outstanding and his sound is immediately memorable. They present in various shades of folk, country, pop, and rock and the end result is something more than any one genre even if at times it lacks cohesion. That said, folks like myself who have picked up on Benson over the last few years are advised to pick up One Mississippi/The Wellfed Boy EP.
I think the organic, stripped back, acoustic EP pleases me more than the more tidy full length One Mississippi. The first thirteen tracks belong to the album while the final nine are culled from The Wellfed Boy. Despite the fact noted above, I still do appreciate two of the songs in particular. Both Sittin’ Pretty and Crosseyed are pleasing. The former represents everything about power pop/indie pop I love. It has a fantastic melody, the vocals are at the front of the mix, and the overall feel is upbeat. Crosseyed is a freely emotional and beautiful mid-tempo ode to a lovely twitchy lady with short hair.
I’m definitely drawn to those songs most, but there are plenty of other moments to enjoy from songs like I’m Blessed, the upbeat and vaguely Sublime-inspired Got No Secrets, the faintly Latin Emma J, and the hilariously quirky story about various creepy crawlies taking over the world Insects Rule. In fact as far as sheer entertainment goes, Insects Rule is clearly the most appealing. I love the song—especially Benson’s voice as he repeatedly chants the line: “now the insects rule, so get down on your knees.”
As much as I want to enjoy One Mississippi, I think it’s a flawed a vaguely immature album. Both Lapalco and The Alternative to Love are superior. What pushes this album into near-perfect territory is the inclusion of the rare Wellfed Boy EP. Please don’t get the wrong idea—most of this bonus material is also available earlier on the disc. The differences, however, are striking. Brendan Benson’s performances are much more delicate and natural. In fact, I can’t help but take note of the stripped-back production value. It works better with his voice than the cleaner style of One Mississippi. The trilogy of Jet Stream, Crosseyed and Me Just Purely gets me every time. Each possesses something slightly different—one is upbeat, one is quirky, and one is a gentle ballad. I’m Blessed is a power pop gem. While it’s not as tweaked and perfected as the official studio version, I can’t help but believe it is still outstanding. I suppose that proves that great songwriting and performance is more important than production values.
The Wellfed Boy is striking through the final song. The consistency and cohesion of the EP is actually slightly better than One Mississippi. This so-called bonus material is indeed what makes this collection really memorable and really, incredibly special. Fans of Brendan Benson should be pleased with the combo release while people who have yet to discover his charm will also find satisfaction among the 22 tracks.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars (rounded down because Benson’s next two albums are better)
Track Listing:
01. Tea
02. Bird’s Eye View
03. Sittin’ Pretty
04. I’m Blessed
05. Crosseyed
06. Me Just Purely
07. Got No Secrets
08. How ‘Bout You
09. Emma J
10. Insects Rule
11. Maginary Girl
12. House in Virginia
13. Cherries
14. The Swamp
15. Jet Stream
16. Crosseyed
17. Me Just Purely
18. Cherries
19. I’m Blessed
20. Sittin’ Pretty
21. Christy
22. Untitled
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