Ben Folds
Way to Normal
Album · Rock · 2008
Ben Folds kicks off his third solo record with a raucous nod to Elton John on “Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)”, smacking the piano so hard it sounds like it might splinter. The sound is big and booming, and he keeps the power coming on the rollicking “Dr. Yang”. He finally dials it down alongside fellow pop weirdo Regina Spektor on the bouncy, dynamic “You Don’t Know Me”, and he ends on a dramatic note with the sweeping “Kylie from Connecticut”.