Spring Break
Ben Kweller successfully Changing Horses in career
Joshua Aromin
Issue date: 2/24/09 Section: Entertainment
02/24/09 -Released on Feb. 3, Ben Kweller's fourth album, Changing Horses, is a long leap away from the indie-pop music that Kweller, 27, is more widely known for. This time around, he takes a stab at singing country.
With Changing Horses, Kweller is symbolically trading in his indie style of cardigan sweaters and skinny jeans and is moving forth with cowboy boots and leather vests. And he makes the dramatic change without missing a step.
The song "Gypsy Rose" opens up the album and establishes Kweller's new sound in the initial moment that the track begins. Kweller strums an acoustic guitar while band members Kitt Kitterman and Chris Morrissey play the slide pedal guitar and bass respectively.
Though switching from indie-pop to country is a far stretch, Kweller's voice still sounds the same. Overall, Kweller doesn't try to distort his set of pipes to suit the new genre, but occasionally he'll sing with a folk-like whine similiar to a less distinctive Bob Dylan.
The most notable changes to Kweller's work are with the album's music and lyrics. The instrumentation is similar to Kweller's previous arrangements with the addition of the slide guitar and steel resonator guitar.
Lyrically, Changing Horses is a far cry from anything else Kweller has done. On his album Sha Sha, Kweller's lyrics are youthful, lackadaisical and are meant to be fun lighthearted and taken with a grain of salt. In the song, "Wasted and Ready," Kweller sings, "She is a slut but her ex thinks it's sexy. Sex reminds her of eating spaghetti. I am wasted, but I'm ready."
Changing Horses fosters a different style of writing with a seemingly older and more emotionally adept Kweller that sings lyrics with a higher sensibility than those of Sha Sha. In the song, "Wantin' Her Again," Kweller sings, "I'm a lonely man but she don't understand. No, she just wants me wantin' her again."
While Kweller's songs were once stereotypical compositions of indie-alternative rock, this new direction has taken him to a very different area in the music world, figuratively taking him from New York City to the Wild West.
The country genre works well for Kweller, but hearing his voice accompanied by a heavy presence of acoustic guitar and slide guitar is something to get used to.
Kweller already has solid footing in the alternative rock scene and could easily revert back to his previous musical style and remain successful, but at the same time he could also follow up Changing Horses by producing more country songs and still be popular.
Changing musical genres is a risky proposition for established musicians and can result into a disastrous train wreck (as seen when country singer Jewel attempted pop music and was subsequently hosed down by firemen in the video for her song "Intuition.")
But Kweller's try didn't end in a train wreck, or even a fender-bender. His crack at country, Changing Horses, is a solid, respectable album that forms curiosity concerning Kweller's next move - either as an urban hipster or as a country-singing cowboy.
With Changing Horses, Kweller is symbolically trading in his indie style of cardigan sweaters and skinny jeans and is moving forth with cowboy boots and leather vests. And he makes the dramatic change without missing a step.
The song "Gypsy Rose" opens up the album and establishes Kweller's new sound in the initial moment that the track begins. Kweller strums an acoustic guitar while band members Kitt Kitterman and Chris Morrissey play the slide pedal guitar and bass respectively.
Though switching from indie-pop to country is a far stretch, Kweller's voice still sounds the same. Overall, Kweller doesn't try to distort his set of pipes to suit the new genre, but occasionally he'll sing with a folk-like whine similiar to a less distinctive Bob Dylan.
The most notable changes to Kweller's work are with the album's music and lyrics. The instrumentation is similar to Kweller's previous arrangements with the addition of the slide guitar and steel resonator guitar.
Lyrically, Changing Horses is a far cry from anything else Kweller has done. On his album Sha Sha, Kweller's lyrics are youthful, lackadaisical and are meant to be fun lighthearted and taken with a grain of salt. In the song, "Wasted and Ready," Kweller sings, "She is a slut but her ex thinks it's sexy. Sex reminds her of eating spaghetti. I am wasted, but I'm ready."
Changing Horses fosters a different style of writing with a seemingly older and more emotionally adept Kweller that sings lyrics with a higher sensibility than those of Sha Sha. In the song, "Wantin' Her Again," Kweller sings, "I'm a lonely man but she don't understand. No, she just wants me wantin' her again."
While Kweller's songs were once stereotypical compositions of indie-alternative rock, this new direction has taken him to a very different area in the music world, figuratively taking him from New York City to the Wild West.
The country genre works well for Kweller, but hearing his voice accompanied by a heavy presence of acoustic guitar and slide guitar is something to get used to.
Kweller already has solid footing in the alternative rock scene and could easily revert back to his previous musical style and remain successful, but at the same time he could also follow up Changing Horses by producing more country songs and still be popular.
Changing musical genres is a risky proposition for established musicians and can result into a disastrous train wreck (as seen when country singer Jewel attempted pop music and was subsequently hosed down by firemen in the video for her song "Intuition.")
But Kweller's try didn't end in a train wreck, or even a fender-bender. His crack at country, Changing Horses, is a solid, respectable album that forms curiosity concerning Kweller's next move - either as an urban hipster or as a country-singing cowboy.
