Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Review: Benyaro, Good Day Better

Benyaro
Good Day Better
B

Brooklyn’s acoustic folk quartet Benyaro returns with Good Day Better, a strong collection of upbeat rootsy tunes. Ben Musser and Meg Chamberlin’s vocals drive the album forward behind a steady mix of some acoustic folk, blues and country influences. “Call off Forever” best demonstrates Benyaro’s blissful strumming and singing as Chamberlin sings, “Try to find yourself some soul brother / get on down and be someone”. That attitude though, when combined with some overly ambitious vocals from Musser, can get downright annoying, like in “Eureka”. It feels like the joyful vocals are just a bit too loud in more than a few songs—and that can get in the way of an otherwise solid album. If Benyaro could just turn down the vocal mix and sing some more sad songs, they could be on to greater heights. Good Day Better is still an overall enjoyable listen.

-- Cole Stangler
"The Cosmic American Radio Music Hour," Fridays 2-4 pm on WGTB