Weekly Release Spotlight: Benjy Ferree
Posted on 3/09/2009
Benjy Ferree
Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee
[Domino]
Benjy Ferree always wanted to be an actor. Raised in a gospel-singing family, he was always around music. After a failed attempt at an acting career in Los Angeles, Ferree got his professional music career started gigging around his semi-native Washington, D.C., playing his blend of Americana-influenced music. The sometimes folksy, sometimes bluesy but always very real Leaving the Nest was released in 2006 to much acclaim. His latest album, Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee, continues on that same path, blending doo-wop and gospel in with the Americana that's defined his borderline crooner sound. The album tells the story of child actor Bobby Driscoll, famous for his childhood roles in many Disney films, including Peter Pan. Fired after he hit puberty, Driscoll suffered from an addiction to heroin and died broke and unrecognizable at 31 years of age in a Manhattan tenement.
Though the subject matter is a little morbid, the songs are wonderfully constructed. If you didn't know the story or listen too closely to the lyrics, you'd probably get lost in the upbeat melodies. You can tell Ferree knows firsthand the heartache and heartbreak of the entertainment industry. "Tired of Being Good" starts off the record and sets the tone with its squishy bass and minimalist percussion. "I get no Love" continues along the same lines, perhaps staying the closest to the Americana formula. The bluesier "Big Business" rollicks along and is definitely worth a listen.
Ferree sticks pretty close to the Americana model and lets his voice and lyrics do most of the work. And the story is probably the most interesting thing about this album. Driscoll's life was made and ruined because of the entertainment business. Told through the songs of Ferree, Driscoll's story is made that much more intriguing.
Stream: Benjy Ferree - Fear - mp3 provided to Radio K by Domino Records
Find more Benjy Ferree at the Domino Records store
Written by Andrew Zoellner, Radio K volunteer.