Ben Arthur is all over the place. His new record, Edible Darling, opens with a very 80's rock sound, crossed with a vocal and harmonic feel taken straight from a They Might Be Giants concert. Then on track two, would be more at home on an Elton John record. Moving on from there, he creates some interesting soundscapes, but still jumps a bit too much stylistically to create a cohesive album.

Lyrically he is also slightly mpd. His vocals change styles more often than Madonna changes outfits, and his lyrics themselves are sometimes just awkward ("all this dry humping must lead somewhere"--come on). He seems to have a TMBG crossed with Tom Petty thing going on, which is at times appealing, but often a bit annoying.

Overall, while not a bad record at all, Edible Darling is not particularly impressive either. It would definitely appeal to people who like that Dave Matthews crap, but has enough flavor to capture a few more discerning listeners as well (though he needs to drop the electro/hip hop scratching bits, they are intensely out of place). An enjoyable, though forgettable, record.

-Dave Mandell