Ben Folds Returns with Emotionally-charged Piano Pop Collection ‘What Matters Most’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Photograph By Alysse Gafkjen

Eight years since his last studio album, Ben Folds is back with another collection of emotionally-charged piano pop tunes. But like all of his work, going back to the brilliant 1995 Ben Folds Five debut, he coats the tales of heartache and loss with moments of sharp humor, blunting the darker sentiments with levity.  

The album opens on “But Wait, There’s More,” an odd song combining an early 80s Casio keyboard-style soundtrack with Fold’s vocals vacillating from almost robotic to over-the-top lounge singer (but the song grows on you with repeated listens). But by the third song, the catchy “Exhausting Lover,” you are reminded of why Folds was compared to everyone from Randy Newman to Elton John. He’s playing a familiar tune, one that would have fit perfectly off of any of his first few albums, a fascinating character study punctuated by a brilliant horn section breakdown. For the rest of the record, he switches back to some beautiful heartbreakers (“Fragile,” “Kristine From the 7th Grade”) to more positive moments (“What Matters Most,” “Winslow Gardens,” “Moments”).      

There are shades of tragedy and loss weaved throughout the record, but Folds never dwells too long on the negativity, adding in enough humor throughout to keep the album from drowning in melancholy. “Paddleboat Breakup” is the best example of this, with the absurdity of the situation battling the sadness of the moment. “There’s a lifetime of craft and experience all focused into this one record. Sonically, lyrically, emotionally, I don’t think it’s an album I could have made at any other point in my career,” says Folds.    

Nearly three decades into his career, having already experimented with symphony orchestras and plenty of collaborations with other musicians, Folds is past aiming for radio airplay and mass appeal and focused more on creating experimental songs that appeal to his creativity. And sometimes those moments of inspiration take him back to the beginning and sound a lot like he did when he first started out.

Related Content

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter