Ben Kweller, ‘On My Way’
By user • Apr 15th, 2004 • Category: Album Reviews
Ben Kweller has grown up.
The 23-year-old earned an honorable mention in a Billboard Magazine songwriting contest at age 9, fronted the band Radish at 16 and finally has grown into the shoes he wanted us to walk in on 2002’s “Sha Sha.”
His third solo release, “On My Way,” distances himself from the routine Ben Folds and Rivers Cuomo comparisons. No longer are songs comprised of either jangly piano or crunching guitars — trademarks of Folds and Weezer. Songs have traces of both, but they are sparse.
The roots of “On My Way” reach even further back. The track “Living Life” is eerily familiar to Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” The opening riff of “My Apartment” could be mistaken for The Beatles’ “Two Of Us.” The song “Hospital Bed” has the most Liverpudlian moments. The guitars during the chorus resemble “Birthday,” the bass line mimics the piano from “All You Need Is Love” and Kweller even tries the occasional Paul McCartney impression.
Despite a few lifted instances, the 45 minutes are refreshing.
His predictably juvenile lyrics have been replaced by age-appropriate questions regarding his recent marriage, the restraints of non-stop tours and the inevitable task of coming to grips with success. Kweller is a master at masking productivity with a naturally lethargic demeanor. If you didn’t know better, the stylishly sloppy vocals would seem accidental.
Once a child prodigy with endless potential, Kweller has become a bona fide songwriter by embracing various song structures, instrumentation and vocal arrangements.
Saying BK is “on his way” is cliché and a terrible pun. But isn’t rock ‘n’ roll just one big cliché?
Northern Star, April 15, 2004
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