Pop nerd Ben Kweller released a demo before (Freak Out! It's Ben Kweller!) But this is his first full-fledged solo album. As a child he wanted nothing more than to become a guitarist like Nils Lofgren (Bruce Springsteen), who was friends with his father. Later, the young Ben stood out at a songwriting competition of Billboard magazine, after which he scored a record deal with his band Radish as a
… 16-year-old, which, however, did not achieve the intended success. While on that album a fairly mature mix of grunge and blues rock could be heard, on the (highly variable) alternative rock album Sha Sha, Ben can give free rein to his youthful brashness to his heart's content. He alternately sounds like a twisted version of Beck and Ben Folds, while in the charmingly messy No Reason the influence of the early Pavement asserts itself. All in all, a nice renewed acquaintance with an original pop talent. (MS)more
