By Rosie Judd
Ben Rector’s latest release, The Walking In Between, has a lot of history to live up to. Rector’s previous releases have done very well on the iTunes charts and his latest release will most likely follow that trend (at press time, it was already #1 on the singer/songwriter charts & #5 overall on iTunes). With some help from producers Jamie Kenney and Charlie Peacock, The Walking In Between delivers a pleasant listening experience for the fans of the Rector’s singer-songwriter style
The album picks up with the trio of “Making Money”, “I Like You” and “Sailboat”. These are beautiful songs that truly show off Rector’s song-writing talent. The simple arrangement of Rector’s voice over the piano in “Making Money” allow you to appreciate the clever lyrics that reminded me of some of my favorite Randy Newman songs. “I Like You” continues the simple arrangement theory and delivers another clever and sweet song that I’m sure will be a crowd favorite. All of this leads up to the best track on the record, “Sailboat.” “Sailboat” is a perfect example of a song taking you to another place. Everything from the lyrics to the crystalline quality of the voice and the accompaniment make you feel like you’re taking in the fresh air of the sea. The rhythm puts you in mind of the wind and waves brushing the unpleasant pieces of your life away, but not in a cheesy Jack Johnson way.
The remaining 6 tracks talk about love, life and summertime in a lighthearted fashion. It’s an easy listen, and I have no doubt that many of these songs will find their way onto movie soundtracks, TV shows and will be in your life more often than you realize. It’s what I call a Sunday afternoon record. One of those refreshing and relaxing albums.
