Bossman Johnny came to our music meeting at the Zone on Wednesday with an artist he was really fired up on. It is hard to say wether a song and style like this will end up on The Zone… but man, I love it.
The artist is Ben Howard. He is a 24-ish folky type from the UK that channels a whole lot of Damien Rice. That was the first thread I pulled out of his style and it immediately gave me a positive vibe toward him.
Trolling his wikipedia I read that his music has shown up on the TV show House (Johnny’s favourite, so now I know where he got idea to jam out some Ben Howard). John said he was going to buy the record and I thought… on Johnny’s excitement, I’d do the same. John played for us the feature song “The Wolves.”
The song is very pretty and emotional. The perfect chill out record to throw on and drift away to.
The other song John played for us was “Only Love.”
This song has just a little more punch and reminds me a bit of maybe John Butler Trio. The guitars turn up just a little and get a growl in them. Lots of groove and maybe an ounce of swagger.
The record is very much an easy listening experience. And Ben is not rewriting the world of folk. But he is pretty good and the music just sounds nice. Uplifting.
Another song I like is…
Ben Howard – “Keep Your Head Up”
Its schmaltzy… but whatever, I like the positive vibe.
Maybe you’ll find your new favourite singer-songwriter after sampling these songs. I bought the record and so far… I am enjoying it. Time will tell if I go back to this record when I am feeling like falling asleep to music or just settle back on Damien Rice’s 9…. or 0.
Go with yourself.
The Morning After 
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