Ben Folds Discography
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 Ben FoldsSongs for Silverman Release Date 2005 04 26 Label Sony Music Distribution Rating:  Ben Folds is at his best when he melds the acerbic with the heartfelt, a balancing act that he's honed to perfection on the warm and ballad-heavy Songs for Silverman. Opening track &"Bastard," with a fuzzed-out bassline right out of 1995, kick-starts a record that plays like a show in reverse. The meat's all upfront, so those expecting a show-stopping encore will just have to listen to it backward, as this is Ben Folds the family man, not the embittered youth who joined the &"Army" on 1999's Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. While there is a warm undercurrent of tenderness that runs through Silverman, it's never cloying or clichéd; rather, Folds can take the simplest notion, insert a gorgeous piano motif, and hit that one line in falsetto that gives you goose bumps -- the lovely &"Time" is a perfect example -- without breaking a sweat. On a song for his daughter (&"Gracie") he teases, fawns, and pontificates without ever seeming overbearing -- a line like "you can't fool me/I saw you when you came out/You've got your mama's taste but you got my mouth" makes even the most spawn-fearing post-hipster reconsider the prospect of parenthood. However, Folds' brand of wry observation is most effective when it's applied to an antagonist like on the aforementioned &"Bastard" ("You get smaller as the world gets big/'The Whiz Man' will never fit you like 'The Whiz Kid' did"), and while his barbs have taken on more of a nostalgic bent, soaring tracks like &"Jesusland," &"You to Thank," and &"Late" -- the latter is a stark, simple, blue-collar ode to Elliott Smith -- confirm what many already knew, that Ben Folds is in this for the long haul, and you the consumer are luckier for it. [Songs for Silverman is also available in a "special package" edition that boasts a 40-page booklet and a DVD, as well as on limited-edition vinyl with the bonus track &"Bitches Ain't S**t."] James Christopher Monger, Rovi |
Tracks:
| Title | Composer | Time | |
| 1 | Bastard | Folds | 5:23 |
| 2 | You to Thank | Folds | 3:36 |
| 3 | Jesusland | Folds | 4:30 |
| 4 | Landed | Folds | 4:28 |
| 5 | Gracie | Folds | 2:40 |
| 6 | Trusted | Folds | 4:08 |
| 7 | Give Judy My Notice | Folds | 3:37 |
| 8 | Late | Folds | 3:58 |
| 9 | Sentimental Guy | Folds | 3:03 |
| 10 | Time | Folds | 4:30 |
| 11 | Prison Food | Folds | 4:15 |
| 12 | Bastard [DVD] | Folds | |
| 13 | You to Thank [DVD] | Folds | |
| 14 | Jesusland [DVD] | Folds | |
| 15 | Landed [DVD] | Folds | |
| 16 | Gracie [DVD] | Folds | |
| 17 | Trusted [DVD] | Folds | |
| 18 | Give Judy My Notice [DVD] | Folds | |
| 19 | Late [DVD] | Folds | |
| 20 | Sentimental Guy [DVD] | Folds | |
| 21 | Time [DVD] | Folds | |
| 22 | Prison Food [DVD] | Folds | |
| 23 | Making of Songs for Silverman Documentary [DVD] | ||
| 24 | Landed [Strings Version][*][Multimedia Track] | Folds |
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