Ben Hemming – The Meaning Of All Things
As heard on 2023’s Resurrection EP, followed by 2024 album Darkness Before Dawn, London based modern blues-rock singer-guitarist Ben Hemming has made a transition from the brooding, dark blues of previous releases (and the stark, acoustic Delta blues of critically acclaimed debut Broken Man) to a more alt-blues/ heavy Americana sound that is lyrically contemplative, honest and as black and white in tone and texture as his monochromatic covers suggest.
Latest offering, The Meaning Of All Things, takes that model even further, complete with considered lyricism on life, world realities, and ponderings on, indeed, the meaning of all things.
The songs all came from "long nights and hard truths," to quote Hemming, and they all sound like it too, such is the raw yet soulful alt-blues sound and soul searching lyricism.
The album, which also features London based, Austrian bassist Stefan Redtenbacher (as did Darkness Before Dawn) and American drummer Mike Sturgis, opens with 'Thorns,' an old-school, full-bodied power-trio rock-blues with a modern grunge twist.
"I’ll be looking for epiphany, in the chaos surrounding me, till the day I die!" sings Ben Hemming, with such gravel-voiced conviction that you don’t doubt that will be the case.
'The One,' which follows, is a mid-tempo bruiser that carries a big, thick and again, slightly grungy sound, no doubt in part due to having regular collaborator and producer James Welsh on board again (working with Welsh and recording at Masterlink Productions has become the perfect creative and sound capturing partnership for Ben Hemming).
The short and brooding 'Talking In Tongues' sounds like Cream have been transported into a grungier, alt-blues 21st century (an interesting concept in itself) before the darker, heavy Delta tinged blues comes calling to express men's mental health concerns on 'Devil May Care.'
'Praise Me' is similarly blues soaked but here the slow and atmospheric number is built upon a tribal rhythm, the twang of dark alt-Americana guitar and a yearning vocal ("I turned my back on goodness and God, and found another path to trod").
'Truth Lies' follows a similarly forlorn path, with slide parts that cry in melancholic sympathy, while 'The Curse' is a dark Americana that flits between lighter acoustic verses and weightier chorus parts.
The tempo is dropped for "the neon glow" of 'City Lights,' a beautifully compelling Americana styled ballad that stands tall as a surprising, but very welcome, highlight.
The alt-Americana themes continue with 'Old Bones,' a reflective number that marries Ben Hemming’s modern blues sound with cinematic sensibilities. Another highlight.
The album closes out on the downtempo atmospherics of 'London Fog,' which could well be the modern blues Yin to the folk blues Yang of Ralph McTell’s 'Streets of London,' where the latter’s "And say for you that the sun don't shine" is answered by Ben Hemming's more melancholic "I watch the rain fall down on me again."
The harmony backing voice accompanying Hemming on the repeating "time has come for change" finale ensure the album bows out on a wistful winner.
Darkness Before Dawn was, as mentioned by FabricationsHQ in review of the album, a musically honest and lyrically contemplative rebirth for Ben Hemming; one that saw him delivering his best, and most expressive work to date.
That The Meaning Of All Things carries such heft that it betters Darkness Before Dawn, tells you he’s in the musically cinematic and lyrically cathartic form of his life.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase The Meaning Of All Things and previous Ben Hemming releases at:
https://benhemming.bandcamp.com/album/the-meaning-of-all-things
Latest offering, The Meaning Of All Things, takes that model even further, complete with considered lyricism on life, world realities, and ponderings on, indeed, the meaning of all things.
The songs all came from "long nights and hard truths," to quote Hemming, and they all sound like it too, such is the raw yet soulful alt-blues sound and soul searching lyricism.
The album, which also features London based, Austrian bassist Stefan Redtenbacher (as did Darkness Before Dawn) and American drummer Mike Sturgis, opens with 'Thorns,' an old-school, full-bodied power-trio rock-blues with a modern grunge twist.
"I’ll be looking for epiphany, in the chaos surrounding me, till the day I die!" sings Ben Hemming, with such gravel-voiced conviction that you don’t doubt that will be the case.
'The One,' which follows, is a mid-tempo bruiser that carries a big, thick and again, slightly grungy sound, no doubt in part due to having regular collaborator and producer James Welsh on board again (working with Welsh and recording at Masterlink Productions has become the perfect creative and sound capturing partnership for Ben Hemming).
The short and brooding 'Talking In Tongues' sounds like Cream have been transported into a grungier, alt-blues 21st century (an interesting concept in itself) before the darker, heavy Delta tinged blues comes calling to express men's mental health concerns on 'Devil May Care.'
'Praise Me' is similarly blues soaked but here the slow and atmospheric number is built upon a tribal rhythm, the twang of dark alt-Americana guitar and a yearning vocal ("I turned my back on goodness and God, and found another path to trod").
'Truth Lies' follows a similarly forlorn path, with slide parts that cry in melancholic sympathy, while 'The Curse' is a dark Americana that flits between lighter acoustic verses and weightier chorus parts.
The tempo is dropped for "the neon glow" of 'City Lights,' a beautifully compelling Americana styled ballad that stands tall as a surprising, but very welcome, highlight.
The alt-Americana themes continue with 'Old Bones,' a reflective number that marries Ben Hemming’s modern blues sound with cinematic sensibilities. Another highlight.
The album closes out on the downtempo atmospherics of 'London Fog,' which could well be the modern blues Yin to the folk blues Yang of Ralph McTell’s 'Streets of London,' where the latter’s "And say for you that the sun don't shine" is answered by Ben Hemming's more melancholic "I watch the rain fall down on me again."
The harmony backing voice accompanying Hemming on the repeating "time has come for change" finale ensure the album bows out on a wistful winner.
Darkness Before Dawn was, as mentioned by FabricationsHQ in review of the album, a musically honest and lyrically contemplative rebirth for Ben Hemming; one that saw him delivering his best, and most expressive work to date.
That The Meaning Of All Things carries such heft that it betters Darkness Before Dawn, tells you he’s in the musically cinematic and lyrically cathartic form of his life.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase The Meaning Of All Things and previous Ben Hemming releases at:
https://benhemming.bandcamp.com/album/the-meaning-of-all-things