Singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist
Jay Bennett showcases his strengths on
Bigger Than Blue, channeling the subdued vibe of
Elvis Costello's mid-period songwriting and goosing it with his trademark
Brian Wilson-meets-
Jeff Lynne bright pop production. More enjoyable than his work with
Edward Burch on 2002's
The Palace at 4 A.M.,
Bigger Than Blue offers more depth in both content and style, shifting from bare-bones acoustic numbers to full-blown multi-tracked pop nuggets. Realizing the limitations of his voice,
Bennett bathes some of his vocals in reverb or other studio jim-crackery with nice effect, but the hardest-hitting tunes are the sweetly understated acoustic numbers ("My Little Wicked One," "Outside Looking In," and the
Woody Guthrie collaboration "Cajun Angel"), where his gritty baritone grumps along with a six-string guitar leaving the structure of the song to stand on its own. Long-toothed alt-country fans will prick up their ears at
Ken Coomer and
John Stirratt assisting their former
Wilco bandmate on "It's Hard," and the liner notes indicate that "Reasons for You to Love Me (Cars Can't Escape)" contains mysterious "lyrical contributions" by
Jeff Tweedy, but the loudest performer on the record is
Bennett's own engineering and production. The big pop songs have layers like a sweet onion, and each one peels away to reveal another trick or effect or stringed instrument. Studio geeks will listen in rapt attention, but the casual listener might start crying for a foothold amid the zipping keys and crackling percussion that fly around like stray bullets. Playing the studio like a Stradivarius,
Bennett is clearly one of the most capable producers working (although just because you can doesn't mean you should in some cases), and fans of
Mermaid Avenue's introspective murmurs and Summerteeth's pop art explosions will have much to dissect and examine.