Disc #19: Ben Folds (Rockin' The Suburbs)

Artist: Ben Folds
Album: Rockin' The Suburbs
Released by Epic in 2001

Even though this debut album is not really a debut album, it`s still an amazing debut album. This was Ben Folds' first album as a solo artist, but he did have the experience of three studio albums with Ben Folds Five under his belt going into it. None-the-less, what a way to break into the music world on your own.

We listened to this album a whole lot in the summer after it was released (and many summers after that). Sometimes albums get really overplayed during corn season. This one might be runner up only to Cake's "Comfort Eagle" (that one is coming up shortly, once we get to the "C" section).

A common trend while singing songs in the corn field is the hand clap. Who doesn't like clapping? Everyone can do it. You don't have to be a good singer, or even have a great sense of rhythm to just clap on the beat. The first track on this album, "Annie Waits", has some great claps at the start. Go and try it for yourself! It's fun, isn't it? It's even more fun in a car full of guys driving around the American country-side. I think about it every time I put the album on. The only times I don't actually clap along to this song are when I'm driving, and even then I try to squeak one or two in there.

I could probably go on for a long time about this album, and comment on every song. It's a great one for sure. I will mention again that I don't care for the cursing, but I just don't sing them when I'm rocking along.

I will comment on one beautiful song. My bride walked down the aisle to "The Luckiest" on our wedding day. I think of her every single time I hear it. If it's on when we're together, we always exchange a glance and a smile. It brings back great memories of that day, and every day after. Thank you, Ben, for the song. More importantly, thank you, Nora, for making everything in my life something worth living for.

If you're not yet convinced that you should have some form of Ben Folds' music in your library, now is the time to go get an album. Start with this one. You won't be disappointed. Once again, I will award Ben Folds a score of:

8

Join me next time as the experiment continues with Disc #20: Ben Folds (Ben Folds Live).