By their very nature, re-releases and compilations are confusing to review. Fans are often torn whether or not to even buy a compilation disc. On one hand, it's largely material you've heard before, repackaged in a convenient all-for-one set; on the other, these releases traditionally contain "remasterings" of the material, ranging from upgraded sound quality on the existing recording to a completely different cut of the song.
Because of this strange dichotomy, there are two schools of thought one could subscribe to when considering Ben Folds' Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP, which is largely an amalgamation of songs from his limited-release EPs Super D, Sunny 16, and Speed Graphic. Both schools have legitimate arguments. Luckily, Folds' material here is strong enough to overcome the fact it's all been heard before.
Folds says in the liner notes of Supersunny (you'll have to forgive me for not wanting to type it all the way out) that, were it not for the immediate gratification factor involved in releasing the EPs online, they would have been collected into a full-length album somewhere between Rockin' the Suburbs and Songs for Silverman, and that pretty accurately describes the tone of the original music here.
From the satirical "All U Can Eat," "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You," and "Rent a Cop" to the emotionally heavy "Learn to Live with What You Are," Supersunny shows the range of pop Folds is capable of producing. It all sounds awfully commercial to the untrained ear, but the lyrics are witty and unique, and Folds' voice and instrumental prowess give the whole enterprise an irresistible quality. Just listen to the waltzy "Songs of Love," actually a cover of the song by The Divine Comedy, and you've got the quintessential Folds song.
A slight disappointment in the makeup of the album is the inclusion of three - count 'em, three — additional covers: The Cure's "In Between Days," Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit," and The Darkness' "Get Your Hands off of My Woman." The first is such a Folds-like song that I never realized it wasn't original until I was researching this release. The latter two, while enormously fun to listen to, quite frankly, take real estate away from the prospect of having even more original material.
Article comments
1 - Pico
Just happened to listen to this album for the first time last night (in this configuration, anyway). I'm no rap expert, but isn't "Bitches Ain't Sh*t" a Snoop Dogg song? Regardless, I thought your write-up was pretty much spot on. In fact, you really nailed what sets Folds apart from his peers IMO when you stated:
It all sounds awfully commercial to the untrained ear, but the lyrics are witty and unique, and Folds' voice and instrumental prowess give the whole enterprise an irresistible quality.
Thanks for a good read.
-P
2 - Jeff Martin
Pico, thanks for the comments - "Bitches" is a Dre song, that much I know. A mistake that was pointed out to me, however, is that "Songs of Love" is yet another cover, of a song by the band The Divine Comedy.
3 - Pico
I stand corrected; AMG got that one wrong. Just goes to show, the better reviewers are over here :&)
-P
4 - Connie Phillips
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