A new kind of greatest-hits record
Ben Folds returns with an
entourage—they intonate their voices at breathtaking levels,
overlapping in a seamless harmony throughout the album. The
singer/songwriter takes the back seat and lets the college kids
channel their inner Folds, and they successfully do so—often
stealing the spotlight away from Folds.
Ben Folds - Ben Folds Presents: University A CappellaThe groups incorporate their own sound
and reinvent the tracks. The Ohio University’s Leading Tones added
some Blues and R&B on “Brick,” and the University of
Georgia’s With Someone Else’s Money brought some much needed
angst to “You Don’t Know Me.” The University of Colorado’s
Buffoons lose some of their identity in “Landed,” sounding eerily
like Folds himself at times.
The instrument-free, re-vamped
“Effington,” a single from his 2008 album Way to Normal,
is Folds’ best moment. One of the two tracks he recorded for this
album, the song sounds more like a party than the tormented track
it’s supposed to be.
Ben Folds Presents: University A
Capella! shows once again Folds’ need to live outside his own
artistic margins and celebrate talent, as well as others’
appreciation for his songwriting.
Listen to Ben Folds on MySpace.