Benjamin Jaffe, best known from acclaimed roots/rock duo HoneyHoney, will release his solo debut album Oh, Wild Ocean of Love on May 11th via Diamond Family Records. Moving in a different direction from the rootsy style of HoneyHoney, Jaffe’s more alternative solo effort reveals his many talents as a guitar virtuoso, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, writer, composer, and arranger. The new material on Oh, Wild Ocean of Love has been very positively received so far and for good reasons. Following the lead singles “Dominator”, “Susan the Cat” and “Everlasting Peace”, Under the Radar has the premiere of “Lazy Music”.
The mellow, Andrew Bird vibe of the song is explained by Jaffe: “I recorded this song with me on the instruments and Howard Feibusch and Erik Kertes on the knobs and screens. They are wonderful men. I’m working on taking days off, really kicking back. The sabbath you know? Shabbat. That’s what the song’s about. It used to have totally different lyrics, they were about death and I thought, nope not this time Ben.”
And inspiration for Jaffe’s solo debut is given context in his bio: Jaffe widens his approach with Oh, Wild Ocean of Love. These songs make room for a broad range of influences, from the polyphonic rhythms and improvisational freedom of jazz music to the soul and swagger of Motown…Inspired by a wide of sounds and texts — including Paul Simon, Beck, Randy Newman, Father John Misty and The Essential Chuang Tzu — Oh, Wild Ocean of Love explores the wreckage left by a relationship that’s poorly-defined and headed south. It’s an album about the full spectrum of love: love for yourself, for others, and even your maker. An album about lessons learned. An album about the realization that even in these chaotic times, it’s okay to relax.
