Ben Tyler surpasses expectations on long-awaited debut, ":PHOENIX:"
In the works for over 4 years now, Ben Tyler has finally given the world his debut record :PHOENIX: and it has delivered beyond all expectations. Please read on for our glowing review of the record, in addition to a background on this artist.
Currently representing the music scene in Pennsylvania, Ben Tyler isn’t a stranger in the slightest to writing or performing, but it’s been a long journey to get to this point of :PHOENIX:’s release. After taking a break for nearly 10 years, he felt the spark in creativity in 2018 after “writing my daughter a song before my son was born”. Ultimately that kicked off the beginnings of this record, and four years later, he’s officially shared a downright beautiful record that’s catchy, innovative, and built for repeated listens.
Co-recorded and engineered with Ben’s friend Jason Reif, the two both clearly led with their heart and soul through an attention to detail when embarking on this musical journey. Coming in at 10 total tracks, spanning right around 35 minutes in length, it so effortlessly rides the wave of emotion through meaningful lyricism and a crisp production. The background of it all according to Ben is “a concept and is a love letter to my wife and the highs and lows of our relationship. She was the inspiration for the record”. Though we felt all songs weren’t necessarily love songs due to possible dual meanings, it still has to be an honor to be in her shoes given all the positive remarks and sentiments.
A major highlight that we took from our initial listen was not only how cohesive :PHOENIX: in that it flows perfectly, but that it balances the energy with ease. Ben starts off the record on a high note sonically with upbeat rockers like “Somebody” and “Ready”, but it noticeable shifts in its tone through the midway point. Tracklisting is so unbelievably important when it comes to album experiences as he’s really curating the way you should feel, and that was definitely a high point of our listen. You’re immersed from the opening notes and he simply has you on the edge of your seat as you make connections in these stories and start to puzzle piece the meaning of it all together.
It should also go without saying that the diverse use of instrumentation adds to the allure, as well as Ben’s vocals that show such a dynamic range and capability. There’s a real originality and uniqueness in the entirety of :PHOENIX:, and we sincerely cannot wait for its inevitable followup! For now, please go ahead and check out the links below to listen, follow along, and of course to keep up with more on the way.
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