I saw Squeeze the other week, and am now fully converted to the majesty of the band. A few weeks I wouldn’t have heard the power chords and the melody of “Whatever’s On My Mind” and drawn the comparisons, but its hard not to.

In 2002, the follow-up to One Mississippi was released, Lapalco. Again, the critical plaudits poured in, but this time the record enjoyed a certain degree of commercial success, selling more than three times as many copies as One Mississippi. [ citation needed] Those years spent honing his craft as a songwriter, producer and touring musician, turned what could have been a liability of isolation into something far deeper, a body of work he described as the best of his career. I was on a walk around Radnor Lake in Nashville, Tennessee, having a talk with myself. I just started singing, ‘I can if you want me to, I can if you want me to’—it was kind of a mantra. I said it over and over and over, so by the time I got home I kind of had the song written out, written already in my head—and it was just a matter of recording.”The fact is, it’s been a long, rough two years for everyone, Benson said. He knows that this wait for normal times, whatever that is, might be a long one. But he’s hardly new at this. Benson has been in the industry for decades and has produced his own eight solo records as well as many others.

Brendan Benson released his seventh solo album, Dear Life, early in 2020, and even though he played all the instruments when recording he’d put a band together and was ready to hit the road and introduce fans to his latest songs, when the pandemic upended touring for everyone. And while isolation can strain relationships and leave one feeling lonely, Benson has a home studio and the skill set to turn hardship, disappointment and a broken heart into a fine pop song when he puts his mind to it. Low Key concludes with “Something A Little Like Home,” a song that surprised Benson because it turned to the loneliness of being on the road and what people will do – one-night-stands, bad behaviour -- simply to stave off the solitude of their environment. This one’s super lighthearted. It’s very loose and it’s got that swagger I like. It was very off the cuff—I didn’t work much on the song. I think there's only three chords in the whole song. But I love the chorus and lyrics. And the chorus lyric about the fire is a reference to Peggy Lee, 'Is that all there is to a fire?' She had a song called 'Is That All There Is?' I love that song, and I like the sentiment too. Just sort of like, huh, really?”It’s also complete with a drum machine beat, and some screeching lead. That isn’t typical of the album (but then, is there a typical Brendan Benson record? Is there a typical Brendan Benson sound? I am not sure. What am I certain of, though, is that “I Missed The Plane” comes from the same warm, welcoming place that you might find Crowded House, and the piano is lovely. By this point, it’s more than clear that Brendan Benson has the chops to stand on his own, that he writes catchy, smart pop songs, and plays all the instruments is an added plus. While this 8-song collection may feel “ Low Key” there’s plenty of good music here, whether you’re trapped alone in the house, and feel like inviting over some party folk to listen to some tunes. A matter of Choice". The Irish Times. March 6, 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013 . Retrieved March 7, 2009. Benson was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. His debut album, One Mississippi, was released in 1996 on Virgin Records. The album, which features several contributions from Jason Falkner, failed to sell in sufficient numbers and Benson was subsequently dropped by Virgin. [2] Lapalco [ edit ]

That much is evident from the start. “Ain’t No Good” lives in its own head. It’s self-absorbed, in the way that anyone that suffers with their own head might understand. “Oh no, look what I’ve become. A lonely man who chased off everyone.” He sings at the end and whether he’s telling himself, reminding himself, warning himself or something else isn’t clear. It’s a fabulous song, though. I'm a simple man with simple needs, too. I used to sing all about finding a girl and being happy and having a family. So now I have achieved all that. That's kind of what I'm singing about. Like, 'All right, here I am, I've arrived.'”Not every two-year period measures out the same, noted Brendan Benson, the 51-year old Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and co-founder of The Raconteurs. Benson had just finished his well-received seventh album, “Dear Life” in 2019 when his world came to a stop. Dear Life, Benson's seventh album, was released on April 24, 2020. His eighth album, Low Key, was released on December 2, 2022. Low Key concludes with “Something A Little Like Home,” a song that surprised Benson because it turned to the loneliness of being on the road and what people will do – one-night-stands, bad behaviour — simply to stave off the solitude of their environment. In 2005, Benson released his third album, The Alternative to Love, and toured extensively in the US, UK, and Europe with his new touring band, The Stiff Tissues. "Spit It Out" was the first single and reached the UK Top 75 for the first time (peaking at No. 75 in April), and also generated some buzz for Benson. Two further singles were released from the album. "Cold Hands Warm Heart" appeared in many commercials and TV shows and "What I'm Looking For" was used in multiple national advertising campaigns. This album charted at No. 70 in the UK Albums Chart. [6] The Raconteurs [ edit ] Low Key concludes with Something A Little Like Home, a song that surprised Benson because it turned to the loneliness of being on the road and what people will do — one-night-stands, bad behaviour — simply to stave off the solitude of their environment. That said, Benson is excited to tour again, not just in support of Low Key but Dear Life as well. Low Key, he said, works as a coda for Dear Life, almost a sequel. And because Dear Life never had its own tour moment in front of a live audience, he’d like to build some shows around supporting both.

Brendan Benson (born November 14, 1970) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released eight solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs. You Were Right is the sixth studio album released in December 2013 under Benson's own label Readymade Records in the USA, on Lojinx in Europe, [12] and on Dine Alone Records in Canada. [13] The album is the culmination of a monthly singles series recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at Readymade Studios. Paulson, Dave (October 13, 2010), Brendan Benson produces 'Well & Goode' debut single, The Tennessean , retrieved October 13, 2010 NEW YORK CITY: New York City musician Jeff Slate has announced the release of a new single, a cover of Small Faces and Faces legend Ronnie Lane’s “The Poacher,” to be released April 1st worldwide. She’s always been saying I should do that song. I don’t normally pay attention when people say that stuff. But then I happened to hear it one day and I said, ‘Dang. This is good.’ ”In the space of about two weeks, I went from going to 100+ gigs a year, working every day, going to every match my team played, to ….nothing.]I am not alone in not coping well. Benson cranks up Pete Townshend’s power chords for “Whatever’s on My Mind,” a song that would have fit on The Who by Numbers. A lovely take on Gerry Rafferty’s somewhat forgotten 70s classic “Right Down the Line” is an interesting change-up, although he plays it straight without enhancing or improving on the original. Another cover, “All In” from rapper Nasty C, which Benson interprets in a singer/songwriter style, shows how wide his influences are. Well, there's a few different stories in there. I think it's like a few vignettes. I don’t normally do that sort of storytelling thing, but in the end, I thought it had a real charm. And I love the title of it. I feel like naming this record was pretty easy. I thought, like, 'Oh man, it's got to be Dear Life—this is perfect.' This sort of sums it all up. Life is precious and it's fleeting, and you don't realize it until it's too late—and there's so much to really to ponder about life.” It was the first song that I wrote for this record. I didn't realize I was writing for a record or anything, but it happens to be the oldest song on the record. It's pretty much self-explanatory, just kind of like, 'I'm not ready to go just yet.' When I had kids I started to realize my mortality, and I think this record is a lot about life and death. So 'Half a Boy' pretty much kind of sums it up, I would think.“ Instead of being an afterthought, Benson’s solitude evolved into, “Low Key” the eighth album by the idiosyncratic songwriter who has enjoyed both world-wide popularity with the Raconteurs and a devoted cult following for his numerous solo projects.