Soot and Stars
I AM SOOT!
Ben Jelen
Ben Jelen is a talented Scottish pop artist that got some exposure with his first single but never had his career take off. That's unfortunate because while potentially being a marketable heart throb he was very talented. He produced and wrote the songs for his album and he's a great vocalist and pianist! He also plays guitar as well! Ben was offered a modeling job until the same company who signed him musically heard his demo and he became signed to record instead. I first heard Ben from the single he released 'Come On" in which I bought. It was a great single but at this point I just expected a typical polished pop artist. Here's the single which I still love. To me releasing a ballad as your first single is a risk. Usually an artist has to get established with a poppy hooky song first. I think Ben is the real deal and released a song that he created for himself first and you can hear the passion for the track in his singing. I love piano but I also love the orchestral flourishes here. Beautiful track:
Come On
When the album came out I was actually surprised at how while poppy it was on a different scale. It just felt more intimate. It had better flourishes of instrumentation than most beat heavy pop albums and while produced well it still felt personal and not overly polished. It has hooks but also an ambience. It was like an adult alternative songwriter album aimed at a younger audience to young to appreciate it. Fans of Tori and Fiona should be able to appreciate his work. The album is:
Give It All Away
My favorite tracks are:
Criminal
Slow Down
(my favorite, the melody and lyrics hit such a nerve)
"Well, I’d trade wisdom back in for innocence to get away from all my lies
I’d trade wisdom back in for innocence to get away from getting by
I’d trade wisdom back in for innocence for just one look through those eyes"
Setting Of The Sun
(I love this too, has a Scottish flair and the most ambition and flourishes in instrumentation)
Those are the ones from the first album i love! I'll come back with the next album later!
Ben Jelen is a talented Scottish pop artist that got some exposure with his first single but never had his career take off. That's unfortunate because while potentially being a marketable heart throb he was very talented. He produced and wrote the songs for his album and he's a great vocalist and pianist! He also plays guitar as well! Ben was offered a modeling job until the same company who signed him musically heard his demo and he became signed to record instead. I first heard Ben from the single he released 'Come On" in which I bought. It was a great single but at this point I just expected a typical polished pop artist. Here's the single which I still love. To me releasing a ballad as your first single is a risk. Usually an artist has to get established with a poppy hooky song first. I think Ben is the real deal and released a song that he created for himself first and you can hear the passion for the track in his singing. I love piano but I also love the orchestral flourishes here. Beautiful track:
Come On
When the album came out I was actually surprised at how while poppy it was on a different scale. It just felt more intimate. It had better flourishes of instrumentation than most beat heavy pop albums and while produced well it still felt personal and not overly polished. It has hooks but also an ambience. It was like an adult alternative songwriter album aimed at a younger audience to young to appreciate it. Fans of Tori and Fiona should be able to appreciate his work. The album is:
Give It All Away
My favorite tracks are:
Criminal
Slow Down
(my favorite, the melody and lyrics hit such a nerve)
"Well, I’d trade wisdom back in for innocence to get away from all my lies
I’d trade wisdom back in for innocence to get away from getting by
I’d trade wisdom back in for innocence for just one look through those eyes"
Setting Of The Sun
(I love this too, has a Scottish flair and the most ambition and flourishes in instrumentation)
Those are the ones from the first album i love! I'll come back with the next album later!
