Ben Folds
(Epic)
A farrago of pounding piano romps, bouncy pop gems, and plaintive ballads, Way to Normal finds Ben Folds sounding freer than he ever has on a solo album. Songs like the frenzied jive "Dr. Yang" and "Errant Dog"-both offering heavy doses of thundering keys and fuzzed out bass-are as energetic as anything he's done since his days with Ben Folds Five while the heartbreaking "Cologne" and "Kylie from Connecticut" demonstrate his ability to mesh simple but evocative lyrics with penetrating melodies and rich arrangements.
Although humor has always been a hallmark of Folds' music-particularly his live shows-he has never reveled in it on his solo releases to the degree that he does on Normal. On the opening track, "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)," an arena anthem that's part homage to Elton John and part Weird Al, Folds recounts a nasty spill to open a show in the Japanese city: "And the spotlight followed me out/ I waved hello to the crowd/ And busted ass off the stage." Folds offers some lyrical clunkers when he moves from charmingly oddball to sophomoric on songs like "Bitch Went Nuts" or "Effington"-which musically may be the most compelling song on the album-or just gets downright lazy: "I'm gonna drag his ass back home back where his ass belongs" ("Errant Dog"). Lyrically, he's at the top of his game when his humor takes on its typically acerbic tone whether he's skewering vacuous girls ("The Frown Song") or responding to a musical barb with one of his own on the eminently catchy "Brainwascht": "But if you had to say it all in a pop song/ Couldn't you at least have made it a good one?"
Fortunately for Ben Folds' fans, the album offers quite a few good ones.
Standout Tracks: "Cologne," "Dr. Yang" JASON MIDDLEKAUFF
