Remember the days when male solo rockers ruled the pop charts? When you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing "Free Fallin'" or "Born in the U.S.A.?" Ben Kweller does. The 25-year-old's new album - entitled Ben Kweller - hearkens back to a time when Petty and Springsteen gave their roots rock a glossy makeover and became even bigger stars than they already were.
On this, his third album for ATO Records, Kweller layers acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass guitars, pianos, glockenspiels, tambourines, xylophones, organs, drums, claps, harmonicas and even triangles atop shimmering vocal harmonies to create an indelibly melodic, sweetly nostalgic work that displays the depth of this ever-evolving singer-songwriter's craft.