Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
Ben Platt, Atlantic Records 2019.
Ben Platt is a young man but he has already been awarded a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy Award and now he has just released his debut album.
All this and he’s still only 26!
Ben is a multi-talented performer who has gained fame as an actor, singer, and now highly acclaimed songwriter and recording artist.
Sing To Me Instead has proven to be a sensation as tracks from the album have achieved more than 16 million streams prior to the album release.
The first four singles; Bad Habit, Easy My Mind, Grow As We Go and Temporary Love have all charted well and Ben has gained slots on the highly coveted The Late Show with James Corden and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as well as performing Temporary Love on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Ben started his performance career as a child prodigy (his father is a film, television, and theatre producer) and first made his name appearing in the Broadway production of The Music Man when he was nine year old.
At 11 he was touring America performing in shows as diverse as Les Misérables, and Hair, and he went on to star in the Broadway productions of The Book Of Mormon and Dear Evan Hansen.
He has also appeared in the films Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, Ricki And The Flash and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
Sing To Me Instead consists of 12 piano driven ballads that are beautifully written and presented.
Ben’s diction is remarkably good which is surely a legacy of his actor training.
Every word is crystal clear and the carefully selected accompaniment allows plenty of space so you don’t have trouble separating the vocals from the music.
The album places the emphasis on Ben’s songwriting which is excellent.
Accompaniment is kept to the bare essentials, enough to support the song and very good vocals but that’s all.
Although the songs are about the usual subject matter of love and loss, the delightful presentation breathes fresh air into the tired old subject.
