Ben Kweller is best known for his indie-folk-rock type music, or better yet, his quick grasp for stardom after the song Falling"" appeared in Adam Sandler's 2002 hit movie, ""Mr. Deeds."" Now the shaggy haired, Shaun White look-alike is back with his fourth studio album, Changing Horses. The album sees Kweller drift back to his deep-south, Texas roots and abandon his once pop-filled style.
His latest sound is a mix between a young Willie Nelson, the eccentric Ben Folds and a soothing Jeff Tweedy, if that's even possible. Kweller seems to hit the jackpot with Changing Horses and has remarked that it's his best album yet.
The country feel of the new album couldn't be any more obvious than on the first song of the album, ""Gypsy Rose."" The opening chords resemble the heart melting, whiny guitar sliding of a typical country rocking chair song. Little spurts of country can be heard in all of Kweller's previous albums, but he does an outstanding job of keeping a consistent flavor throughout this one.
Kweller's addictive lyrics and sing-along songs can also be found on the new album, holding true to the successes we've seen from him before.
You can't help but get a southern rock/country/Allman Brothers feel when listening to the song, ""On Her Own,"" and it feels as if you need to be sucking on a piece of hay when listening to ""Sawdust Man."" Kweller is an incredible storyteller, and on this track he paints a colorful story in your head, making you feel like you're stomping your boots in a musky bar while giving in to the urge to smile and sing along. The song even has a breakdown where everybody can easily get their groove on while he repeatedly yelps, ""I'm on top of the Greyhound station / Won't you please come home."" With the backing of a sweet steel guitar under those lyrics, you get a sense of urgency to sing it over and over with him.
The best song on the album is ""Fight,"" where he urges everybody to ""Fight, fight, fight 'til your dying day!"" It's a very guitar-heavy song, with repeating lyrics making it very easy to put on repeat in iTunes until you're afraid Kweller will come after you looking for a real fight. The song could sell the album on its own because of its accessible beat and convincing singing. A fan of upbeat and catchy songs will surely dig this album, or any Kweller song for that matter.
Changing Horses is definitely Kweller's best work yet, and who knows, if we're lucky, maybe he'll even score big again and land another appearance in an upcoming Sandler movie.
