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Nov 27, 2013 Issue #48 - November/December 2013 - HAIM By Tom Fenwick

Once a bold troubadour of power pop, Brendan Benson has slowly been veering towards the middle of the road for some time now. Whilst his workmanlike talent as a singer/songwriter remains steadfast, his output of late seems to lack the key components that made his earlier efforts—specifically on One Mississippi and Lapalco—shine so brightly. This leaves him to sleepwalk through most of the 15 songs that make up his latest album, You Were Right.

If you’re a fan then you’ll know a number of these tracks already, Benson having released them sporadically throughout the year as part of his singles series. This approach may satisfy in the short term, but when collected together it feels disjointed—an overlong collection of isolated oddments rather than a coherent album. At best they rattle along, with toe-tapping intensity (“I’ll Never Tell”), pretty Beatles-esque melodies (“Swimming”), or interesting spectral acoustics (“New Words of Wisdom”). At worst they feel like tired, half-sketched ideas that never really take off; the showcase for a huge talent stuck in a low gear. (www.brendanbenson.com)

Author rating: 4.5/10