Title: Let's hope the next effort is a better one
Review: I'm sorry, Ben Folds, but ditching Darren Jessee and Robert Sledge was a poor choice. After four incredible and incisive albums, BFF should have taken a well-deserved break and regrouped for a fifth killer album. Instead, we have Ben leaving the continent to pursue domestic bliss and recording this mess of kitsch, keyboards and noise. Not to say that these are bad ingredients, but that here they're formless and the ideas are undercooked. What made BFF a great act was the synthesis of wit, talent and musicianship. What makes this album a disappointment is the lack of focus, polish and practice. Ben Folds is a ridiculously talented musician, but not necessarily one who has mastered instruments beyond the piano. I hope he gets a chance to work with the trio again, some time in the future.
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