Ben Kweller

Changing Horses

[4/5]

Whoever said that you can never ever go home again obviously hasn’t listened to Ben Kweller’s Changing Horses. Last year, the Greenville, Texas, native moved his family from Brooklyn to Austin, Texas, and his dusted-off roots more than shine through now. Lap steel, saloon-ready piano and crisp acoustic guitar tie together an album that is decidedly more country than alt. But the stories told through the lyrics, the tight musicianship and the emotional vocals are classic Kweller. The upbeat “Wantin’ Her Again” (where Kweller punctuates some lines with a deep growl a la his childhood favorite, Garth Brooks) and the piano-laced “Sawdust Man” provide a freewheeling spirit; the classic-country steel guitar on “Hurtin’ You” is complimented by sisters Allison and Catherine Pierces’ backing vocals. Yet, simple, pretty ballads (“Homeward Bound”), and some darker material (“Ballad Of Wendy Baker” is about a friend who died in a car accident) keep the disc firmly grounded in a reflective yet hopeful midtempo state. Regardless of one’s opinion on music that drawls, Changing Horses is worth your attention. (ATO) Rachel Lux



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