Ben Sollee isn’t human. He can’t be. He must be some extraterrestrial species of blue-eyed soul singing, cello specialist, artist-type-being. He has to be, because Inclusions is an unprecedented masterwork. His 2008 debut Learning to Bend was a spare statement that showcased both his instrument of choice, cello, and his wonderfully soulful vocals. While that album does foreshadow some of the soul influences on Inclusions, it doesn’t begin to explain where the musical bomb that is Inclusions came from.
A little background is necessary for the uninitiated. I first heard Sollee when he was accompanying the banjo picking Abigail Washburn in support of her debut album. Sollee would eventually go onto to join the string band supergroup fronted by Miss Washburn that also featured Bela Fleck and Casey Driessen. The album that this Sparrow Quartet produced was a modern re-interpretation of bluegrass music that wowed critics and fans alike. That same year he released Learning to Bend, an album that only tangentially touched on bluegrass. Last year he put out Dear Companion with fellow Kentuckian Daniel Martin Moore. The album was dedicated to raising awareness of Mountain Top Removal Mining, a practice that is damaging both to the environment and the local communities of Appalachia. The album was produced by none other than Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket fame. So between collaborations with the genre hoping Bela Fleck, the Chinese bluegrass singing Abigail Washburn, the Sub-Pop folk singer Daniel Martin Moore, and the mystical force that is Yim Yames, Sollee produced Inclusions.
Inclusions can most simply be described as a folk-soul-jazz-pop-funk-R&B record sung by cello playing Kentuckian with a voice that recalls Marvin Gaye. However, it isn’t the number of influences that is impressive, it’s how easy it all sounds. With horns that recall Kind of Blue, vocals that bespeak influences such as Sam Cooke and the aforementioned Jim James, Inclusions shouldn’t work at all really. But, it does. It does to astonishingly high heights. “Close to You†is a ringing anthem. “Embrace†is perfect 3am jazz music. “Bible Belt†is a folk song disguised as ballad-pop perfection. “Electrified†is the sort of pseudo-bluegrass folk that is Sollee’s calling card. This may not be the best album I’ve heard in 2011 (and I ain’t saying it isn’t), but it’s certainly the most innovative and surprising. Cheers to you Mr. Sollee.
Audio Download: Ben Sollee, “The Globe”
[audio:http://twangville.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Ben_Globe.mp3]
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd