Ben Lee - Awake Is The New Sleep Album Review

Ben Lee
Awake Is The New Sleep
Album Review
New West

It seems the majority like their singer-songwriters plain and reasonably upbeat, if the appetite for James Blunt and Daniel Powter tells us anything. Ben Lee is an Australian singer-songwriter of indie bent, but with an ear for simplicity and optimistic viewpoints, like Josh Rouse of late.

This is a thoroughly pleasant album, dealing, as it does, with material others would have turned into a melancholy dirge, and making it all somewhat life-affirming. It would be impossible to be, say, a fan of Jack Johnson and not immediately understand and like this album - it is several notches above that in quality. It won't please those who like their music dark and difficult, but that's not the point - it's much happier being exactly where it is.

7/10

Mike Rea
Adult Contemporary Essentials