A Collection of Songs I Forgot to Tell You About is an assembly
of unreleased tracks by singer/songwriter Robb Benson. The
album consists of 11 never-before-mentioned songs, recorded
by Benson over the past four years. Boasting a career that
began with Nevada Bachelors in the late ‘90s and includes
the more recent Dear John Letters and his current band Dept.
of Energy, Benson is a singer/songwriter with an indie-inspired
pop/rock feel. These recordings all sound different and vary
in style and approach, but Benson’s vocals hold them
together to form an interesting snapshot of his work. The songs
move from the Flaming Lips-enthused intro “French Pub” to
the poppy R&B leanings of “Crazy About You Love,” the
latter sounding like a song Benson would write for one of those
sculpted female pop singers just looking for a solid tune to
manipulate.
Collection begins to steer into a more acoustic direction midway
through, highlighting the indie rock simplicity of “It’s
the Same Thing,” which features wife Darla Rae Barry Benson
on backing vocals. “Night Shift Superstar” is another
standout track in its arrangement of backing strings, which enter
during the chorus and produce a huge sound to accompany Benson’s
voice.
The album interestingly conveys an encompassing, panoramic picture
of Benson’s work, which taken as a whole is quite impressive.
The songs that he has collected do feel a bit thrown together,
diluting any actual album concept, rather emphasizing each song’s
stand-alone merits. Benson has played with all the right people,
and shows on this Collection that there’s even more to
the picture than that. (Roam Records)
-Matthew Johnson **
**
**NEW** FREE DEMO SONG ADDED 12/16/06
"Benson
has been a mainstay of the Seattle music scene since the mid-'90s, when
he formed the Nevada Bachelors. Since
then,
he's been carving out a
niche for himself, honing his gift for intricately crafted acoustic pop under
the name Dear John Letters. This year, he steps out under his own name... " -Seattle
Weekly
"Robb
Benson has a real gift for alternative pop. It's literate, heartfelt,
memorable stuff, and Benson
is an onstage
bundle of nerves and energy." -Tom Phalen (seattlemagazine.com)
" Often
gentle and wholesome, sometimes acrimonious, Benson's songwriting warmly
refers to the Beatles."
- Corianton Hale (The Stranger)
" Benson spits and talk-sings songs in a cracked, wobbly, trembling voice,
somewhere between the Kinks' Ray Davies, Ian Hunter, and Squeeze's Glenn
Tilbrook ...Benson proves he's one of his generation's most talented..." -
Hal Horowitz (all music guide)
