ady bennett - breaking out

Ady Bennett

Breaking Out
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Some people are just born with the desire to make music. It’s in their blood and through various bands, up and downs and everything in between they just keep going back to that one constant. In the case of Ady Bennett it seems as if he developed that desire and it hasn't left. At the age of six he started to learn the piano and two years later he started singing. As a young teenage he picked up the guitar, drums, bass and harmonica. Bennett was in a band in college that had some success. They released a couple of albums, played a surplus of shows and generally did the things you do in a band before going their separate ways. Bennett took the opportunity to write and record his own music, which ended up as a full-length album entitled Breaking Out.

Breaking Out is an eclectic pop album that contains commercially accessible tunes, which will appeal to fans of bands like Paramore and Panic At The Disco. The songs have a lot of upbeat energy and contain a rich variety of instrumentation. At the center is Bennett's voice, which is the anchor that carries the songs.

The album first track “Face!” is a dance-fueled number that sounds like a mix between LCD Soundsystem and Green Day. I know that sounds a bit odd on paper but it works quite well. Bennett implements a simple drum beat and synth bass that sounds like it came from the song “Trials and Tribulations.” It is a good opener overall with a solid hook. The second track “Made Up” is one you can make a case for as the “single.” It has all the elements you look for that would appeal to a mass audience. 

The fourth song “Tonight You Belong To Me” is a cover, which is a very welcome change of pace. It’s a sparse song containing just Bennett’s voice and guitar and sounds more akin to a folk song from the 1940’s. Bennett delivers an excellent vocal performance in which he strategically layers harmonies. He might want to do more of these stripped back tracks in the future because it fit him quite well.

The highlight on the album for me was “What Will We Be Famous For?” Bennett toys with Spaghetti Western guitar which sounds like it could be in a Quentin Tarantino film. On top of that the song is just well written and catchy.

Bennett has some talent. The biggest issue I feel at this point is his style blends top 40-rock pop with tidbits of hipster approved indie rock. The fact that he doesn't indulge in one camp could possibly ostracize both. That being said, it could also appeal to both.

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