I’d be surprised if an album has been more mis-sold by one of its lead singles this year.
The singer-songwriter, best known for co-founding The Raconteurs with Jack White, is back with his first album in seven years, and Dear Life has more to offer than suggested by Richest Man — a jaunty, happy-clapping ode to fatherhood.
Good to be Alive and Who’s Gonna Love You are packed with likeably screwball arrangements and the kind of glitchy production Danger Mouse brings to Broken Bells. Fans of Raconteurs-esque riffery will enjoy bombastic opener I Can If You Want Me To and the blues rock of Evil Eyes.
As Richest Man attests (“I got two beautiful babies and one hell of a good looking wife… I feel like the richest man alive”), the wordplay is often contented, but rarely captivating. Benson’s at his best when turning his gaze further afield. The title track is the album’s stand-out — it’s a jaded, country-infused jam, recounting the tales of unhappy strangers; a disillusioned young woman with a “spinning head in a stranger’s bed”, and a struggling war veteran. The most compelling moment on a mixed return.
