Review: Brendan Benson

LAWRENCE -- Brendan Benson celebrated his 39^th birthday by bringing his brand of clear-voiced, melodic power pop to the Bottleneck on Saturday night. Had a girl in the crowd not yelled out that it was her birthday in the middle of his set, however, the sometimes aloof Benson might not have ever mentioned it. “It’s my birthday,” he said between songs. “It’s yours too?”

He led the crowd in a quick chorus of “Happy Birthday” to Jenny,  someone named Tanner (who said it was his birthday, too —convenient!), and himself, before jumping right back into a solid set of 16 energetic tunes that spanned the breadth of his four solo albums.

Curiously, none of the songs he played as a co-frontman of the Raconteurs were in the set, but considering that his new solo record, My Old, Familiar Friend, was recorded two years ago and finally released this August, who can blame him? Since 2005, he’s toured and recorded two albums with Jack White and company and has probably been itching to play his solo stuff for a while now.

His backup band, which consisted of a drummer, bassist, and second guitarist/keyboardist, is as tight an outfit as one could ask for and brought out the subtle dynamics and intricacies to Benson’s songwriting without losing any of its vigor.

Benson, dressed in black from head to toe, was slinging a lime green Fender telecaster covered in paisley. For the most part, he favored the “less talk, more rock” approach, letting the music speak for itself.

The driving one-two punch of new songs “A Whole Lot Better” and “Don’t Wanna Talk” got things started off right, setting the tone for a set that was well received by the 125 or so people that were there. From the looks of it, many fans were familiar with Benson’s older catalog as well. As he and his band launched into “Folk Singer,” from his 2002 independent album Lapalco, a surprising amount were singing along, if not just trying to keep up with the quickly delivered jaunty cadence of the lead vocals.

Benson strayed from the setlist a couple of times when an acoustic guitar he was supposed to play wasn’t tuned up and ready to go. He shrugged it off with his usual nonchalance. “I don’t feel like playing the acoustic guitar,” he said. “That OK with you guys?” It was.

Tempo-wise, the set was varied, but the energy level and tunefulness was consistent throughout. Benson ‘s stoic persona broke on his last song of the regular set when he cracked a smile. Like most of his songs, catchy closer “Tiny Spark” should have been a radio hit — maybe in an alternate universe where “radio-friendly” actually meant well-crafted, smart pop tunes instead of whatever pretty flavor-of-the-month some band is serving up.

For an encore, he played the lively ”What I’m Looking For” from 2005’s The Alternative to Love. Benson’s songwriting has the playfulness of the '60s British Invasion while retaining a uniquely American voice, so it’s fitting that a proficient version of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” ended the encore.

Opener Cory Chisel and his band sounded a bit like the Wallflowers, but without all the commercial hooks. The rail-thin Chisel looked like a long-haired Martin Starr, except dressed more smartly: with a button-up shirt and vest, sporting a fedora, and drinking a glass of wine (coveting a Robbie Robertson persona, I guess). The crowd thinned out during his set, but came back when Benson started.

Brendan Benson setlist: A Whole Lot Better, Don’t Wanna Talk, Folk Singer, Good to Me, Eyes on the Horizon, Spit It Out, Sittin’ Pretty, I’m Blessed, Poised and Ready, Cold Hands (Warm Heart), Metarie, Crosseyed, You’re Quiet, Tiny Spark Encore: American Girl (w/ Corey Chisel), What I’m Looking For

| Eric Melin, Special to The Star

Editor's note: Melin is a member of the Lawrence band the Dead Girls, which opened this show.

Comments

[wadkc]

Wish I could've been there. I have all of Brendan's albums, which are fantastic. Met him when he played for about 50-75 people at the old Hurricane several years ago. Very nice guy. Didn't say much on stage but talkative off. Check him out next time!

[ptgkc]

I was going to ask who Eric was. Good to see the tag line.

Really like the expanded coverage from Lawrence here at BTR. I don't get there often, but did attend both Ben Folds and Art Brut show reviewed. Like the detailed reporting, particularly for lesser known acts that could use the extra coverage.

[Geordan]

Agree with wadkc. I couldn't make the Brendan's show this time around, but all of Benson's solo records are great and I'll take them over any side project Jack White pulls him into. In fact, I could use a lot less of Jack White these days unless, of course, a new White Stripes album is in the works.

Benson's first solo disc, called ONE MISSISSIPPI, by the way, was sadly under-appreciated in it's day and it STILL sounds fresh when I toss it on the car stereo for a long drive. If you ever enjoyed Power Pop even a little, then you might want to seek this or really any of his solo work out.