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In presenting the evidence in support of Ben Rusch, it would be very easy to just rely on the facts. They're very impressive, after all. He's been a featured artist with a variety of European taste making blogs, magazines, and online radio shows; He can play enough instruments to be his own orchestra, he's appeared on a total of 19 albums since he began playing music seriously, and he's done most of this while still being an antitrust lawyer in jolly old England. These are things that make you sit back and go, "Dayumn," definitely, but if you have to admire one thing about Mr. Rusch, it's his guts. You see, Ben Rusch quit his high-flying law job in England, because he wasn't feeling fulfilled. The siren song of music was just too much, and here he is now, bringing forth progressive pop goodness to the masses.
The music of Ben Rusch is a unique blend of influences, and nowhere does it show more than on his latest opus, OH, YES!! Just when you think you have the style pegged, you hear something else that puts you right back to square one. From the piano-driven melancholy of songs like "Fissile Isle," to the upbeat funk-Britpop of "Ode to Your Body," to the completely off-the-wall songs like "Bass Guitars in Heaven," the only truly unifying threads are superb songwriting and Ben's smooth, English croon. That said, Ben's ability to flip genre on its head is natural, with nothing sounding forced, making for an engaging listen every spin.
With time bringing about changes of all kinds, so too does it bring a slight change in the direction of Mr. Rusch. Never one to rest on his laurels, Ben has hinted that there will be less "prog" and more "rock" on his next album, and from there, who knows? Whatever the style, though, we can rest assured that anything Ben Rusch releases will be done of his own will, blocking out any outside pressures or interests in his never-ending quest for artistic integrity. |
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