Ben Swift--Pull

Solo singer/songwriter Ben Swift debuts on the music scene with the impressive Pull. Swift not only provided all the instrumentals and vocals for the album, but also co-produced and engineered the album, as well as providing the cover art (he is also a professional photographer). Jeeze. The music drips of talent as well, playing on the edge of pop, country, and typical acoustic singer/songwriter territory. Most of his songs deal with the typicals: love lost, love found, life’s ups and life’s downs. Yet, also intermixed are some intriguing unique songs like "Shortest Day of the Year" and especially "Puppet Baby." This latter song in particular displays some of Swift’s best and most haunting lyrical work, singing "Bring me your wretched your tired and poor / Smile for the camera and calmly ignore / All of these problems become such a bore…Power is sexy power is fun / We like to get drunk and play with our guns / There’s nothing to it / This could all be yours." Swift has a softly pleasing voice that does all it should: hints at emotional fragility while remaining strong and enjoyable to the ear. His vocals and instrumentals mix well too, as in "New York Rain" which displays some of the strongest melodies on the album. Pull hits a rough spot in "Happy Song," as the repetition tends to get bothersome after the joke ends, but Swift’s acknowledgment of his glass-half-empty style songs is refreshing. A strong effort from a very talented artist, Pull pushes Swift in the right direction.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)