Ben Mize: "Nantahala and the Quest for the SimpleLife"
3 out of 5 stars
Over the Christmas break, the biggest thing I wanted to get myhands on was the new greatest-hits package by Counting Crows,"Films About Ghosts." When I got it, I sat down and while the albumplayed, I read the liner notes, something I do every time I get anew album. At the end, I saw a little note in the thanks sectionthat surprised me. It seemed Ben Mize, the drummer for the bandsince "Recovering The Satellites" and co-songwriter on such songsas "Hanginaround", had left the band!
I immediately wrote down the Web site listed in the liner notes,intent to discover what had led Mize to leave the Crows and move toAthens, Ga. What I found along the way was an Americana albumwritten in the grand tradition, one I just can't seem to removefrom my CD player.
"Nantahala," Mize's debut album as a solo artist, cements himimmediately as much more than just a drummer and background singer.With his mild yet deep southern accented vocals, each song on thealbum sounds like you've heard it before, but his words smooth overyou like a comfortable musical blanket. You can't help butlisten.
It's hard to put a "similar to" label on him, even though hisstyle seems so familiar (perhaps since he's been working with theCrows for over a decade, something was sure to wash off). I hearelements of John P. Strohm in his vocals, and the backgrounds aresteeped in that almost bluesy acoustic sound that made earlyWallflowers music so successful. It makes for a sound that seemsboth traditional and original, as Mize takes his many personalinfluences and puts his own personal stamp on them.
Lyrically, Mize takes a page from the Counting Crows' tradition.We all know Adam Duritz loved character sketches within his music,and Mize is no exception. Yet his sketches are more subtle and areoften blended with impressions of himself. "I'm ready to believe infalling stars and burned out headlights. When you say you'll neverleave me alone again, we'll have to wait and see, can you believein me?" he asks plaintively in "A Simple Dose." At first it readslike a Duritz-inspired depressing lyric, ala "August and EverythingAfter," but after enough listens, you start to sense Mize's uniquestyle in all of this.
It all comes to a head in "Nantahala," the album's title track."Everything sure turned out alright," he sings in a slow andmelancholy voice, "I wish I had known that it would all work outanyway, maybe I have learned not to try so hard ..." He then hitsthe chorus, and even though the timbre of the music never changes,you feel like you've hit a revelation. "Oh, nantahala, the simplelife," he sings. "Oh nantahala, I'm so glad you're mine."
Immediately you believe him and immediately start the CD over,hoping to find that revelation for yourself, find the simpleelements in the big picture that make this album so enjoyable. Andwhile even after perhaps two dozen listens I cannot firmly put afinger on what makes this album work so well, I know that it does... which is perhaps all that matters.
While this isn't the greatest album I've ever heard, it's a verystrong debut from a songwriter taking his first steps. It takes astrong will to pull yourself away from a successful career to moveacross the country and become an indie artist, but that's what Mizehas done here. For the most part, it has already been a rousingsuccess. I highly recommend this album to anyone who loves greatacoustic music. You won't be disappointed.
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