Good lyrics don't always keep on paper. Listening to records with the textbook on your lap is therefore not always an undivided pleasure. In the case of Lonely Avenue, it is still advisable to read along. Because the lyrics that British writer and essayist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About A Boy, 31 Songs) wrote for Ben Folds, one of his favorite pop musicians, have a literary quality. His themes
… (difficult relationships, pop music) are therefore made for Folds, as the personification of the immature pop freak from Hornby's breakthrough book High Fidelity. But where the novelist ventures into new territory, Folds stays too much in his 'comfort zone'. The musical ideas he unleashes on the lyrics of his new British friend sound like variations on old songs. The result is a good but also somewhat predictable record. (MS)more
