Ben Goldsmith reveals his sophomore album this Friday, The Start of Something Beautiful, and it’s full of promises. Review of this rich-in-influences album.
THE START OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL – BEN GOLDSMITH
As he sculpted it, Ben Goldsmith is highly exigent with himself for his sophomore album, The Start of Something Beautiful. But that’s because the artist is ambitious too, and even more so passionate about his craft. Genres don’t really matter here, if it speaks to him, he’ll let it inspire him. The result is as eclectic as he hoped. First, it opens on a groovy pop-funk and really catchy track named Crazy, an introductive one that shows off Goldsmith’s efficient songwriting. On this record, he also surrounded himself with other talented producers to highlight that. Love Again is teasing a more conventional but solar pop-rock. Once more, the artist shows how precise he can be in his writing, following a genre’s codes all while adding parts of him to it.
So far it was pretty upbeat. That’s when the album starts shifting rhythm with When I Said Goodbye. It gets more melancholic, folk and quiet, and to me, it’s quite representative of the rest of the record. Graduate follows seamlessly, even with its agitated bursts, before flowing into I Miss NYC and Trying, both really soft. In this classic core, we get to enjoy the vocals, their textures and vulnerability. And then, there’s a surprise. Wish We Never Met is, to me, the gem of this record. Because it’s a lot more rock than the other songs, it’s one that really stands out and shows, once more, that Ben Goldsmith is capable of great versatility in his work.
After this explosive interlude, the songwriter goes back to a quieter base with Look On and its blues inflexions, and Easy, leaning more towards soul and R’n’B, topped by a classic rock guitar solo. Folk again with Treetops, Ben Goldsmith then closes his new album by The Start of Something Beautiful, soft, delicate, precise and full of promises. With so much flexibility in his writing and production work, Goldsmith sets the bar really high! Looking at the result, it sure is worth it!
Ben Goldsmith is on tour! See him on 17 September in London, and 20 September in Hamburg. More info here.
