Somewhere along the line, Ben Folds dropped the Five and flew solo — and a smart move it was.
Though Folds saw some mainstream success with his band’s mid-’90s hit, “Brick,” he decided to try out the solo gig and it worked out nicely. For the first time in five years, he is back with a band, but not the original one.
Folds returns with the follow-up to 2001’s Rockin’ the Suburbs as if he had hit pause four years ago and just decided to hit play. Songs for Silverman is a collection of brilliant piano-pop ballads. Dropping that whole “Five” thing has allowed Folds to bring his piano chops to the forefront.
And for fans of the Five, Silverman sounds more like something Folds would have put out back in the day — with a more mature twist.
The album showcases some of Folds’ best lyrics. It seems his maturation as an artist, and as a person, has caused his words to seem a bit more introspective. He turns to his daughter for inspiration on “Gracie,” an almost-lullaby backed by an enchantingly cheesy progression.
His latest single, “Landed,” a return to the Folds of old, is about being stuck in a stalled relationship and boasts the album’s catchiest chorus. And in tribute to the late Elliott Smith, Folds penned “Late,” a track about sharing experiences with someone as they did on tour in 1998. He sings about Smith’s guitar playing and dirty, elbow-throwing basketball skills.
The self-produced album was recorded over the span of a month in a Nashville, Tenn. studio with Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums. The trio also enlisted the help of another ’90s “icon,” “Weird Al” Yankovic, for backing in some soaring “oohs” and “ahs” on “Time.” The songs on Silverman cover a range of emotions and styles, even including a country feel on “Give Judy My Notice” where Bucky Baxter sits in on pedal steel guitar.
While his style seems to lean more toward adult contemporary on a few tracks, Folds comes right back at you with a few great pop ballads. “Jesusland” kicks off with some harmonies reminiscent of The Beach Boys and moves on to sound a bit like Elton John, while “Bastard” feels a bit more like classic Folds.
People who pick up this disc foolishly searching for another “Brick” will be sorely disappointed — mostly because the track was so un-Folds in the first place. But those checking it out for the sake of hearing something fresh from one of the best rock-pianists of the last decade will be pleasantly surprised Folds hasn’t lost a step.
Sure, Silverman has nothing on Suburbs musically, but it shows an outstanding musical maturation for Folds and a smooth transition into a new Ben Folds era.
