BENJAMIN BOOKER

BENJAMIN BOOKER

2014-09-16

Featuring edgy punk-laden grooves with a blues howl that reveals why he was a natural fit for the opening slot on the current Jack White tour, twenty five year old Benjamin Booker's self-titled debut is a high energy delight from beginning to end. Produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff) the disc shares the dynamics and soulful energy that made recent releases by those bands so successful. Like Barrence Whitfield (The Savages) he often shouts as much as sings the lyrics, which is only natural given the primal fury of the music which makes anything else a futile gesture. When he does actually sing his voice recalls a raw Trevor Hall. Booker mixes things up a bit on "Spoon Out My Eyeballs" where alternates between quiet, almost tender, moments and a full on rock blast on the chorus while "I Thought I Heard You Screaming" is a full on ballad. Lyrically he bounces between railing against overproduced records, "Spoon Out My Eyeballs", wanting his lady to set religion on the shelf in favor of his advances, "Always Waiting", and a heart-wrenching tale of a little girl who is shot while tying her shoes, "Slow Coming". Expect to hear plenty more from Benjamin Booker. Smitty