BEN
BOSTICK
AMONG
THE FACELESS CROWD
1.
Absolutely
Emily 2. Wasting Gas 3. Working for A Living 4. I Just Can’t Seem To Get Ahead
5. The Last Coast 6. The Thief 7. Central Valley 8. Too Dark To Tell 9.
Untroubled Mind 10. If I Were In A Novel
This
Georgia based singer songwriter had me from the first strains of the whining
B-3 and Leslie speaker in the intro to the first track, Absolutely Emily. His plaintive and honest voice drive this
track and the best of the record. The simplicity of the recording is wonderful
and inviting. It’s as though Ben is
sitting next to me in the room, my very own house concert, if you will.
One
of my favorite tracks is Working For A Living.
The percussive track sounds like a nail gun banging shingles. The pain in his voice makes the listener feel
the blazing heat of that damn July sun and the bitter winter wind and rain on
that rich man’s roof. And when the sun goes down he’s parking those fancy cars
at someone else’s club each night.
Ben’s
way of sharing his pain is poetic and beautiful. Artists such as him are few and far between.
In the closing track, If I Were In A Novel he begs us not to think of him as a
hero. I’m sorry, Ben but you are a hero
among the faceless crowd.
It’s
difficult at best for a singer songwriter to get noticed these days. There is no path of least resistance in their
world but the brave press on anyway. For sure, Ben is one of the brave.
This
life is all about the haves and the have nots. Life isn’t fair but at least we
can be grateful that artists like Ben shine the light in those dark corners for
all of us to see. God bless you, Ben Bostick.
RECORD
REVIEW BY CHRIS KEATON Music publisher, music industry consultant, author,
Member N.C. Music Hall of Fame 2016; Grammy Voting Member; Macy’s Style Crew
IG:
@chrisjkeaton FB: chriskeatonmusic