(2019) Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Gratitude

Review:
Benjamin Francis Leftwich is a man who’s been through the storm and found himself stronger at the end of it. Veering away from the dusky singer-songwriter label that so appropriately encased his past albums, this third effort finds him in uncharted but exciting territory, bringing a previously unseen sleekness to his repertoire as he tells a narrative of recovery and reinvention. From square one, he lays it all out, setting the tone with a raw and vulnerable title track. It follows neatly from last year’s I Am with You EP, on which he alluded to struggles in his personal life, specifically the before and after of a trip to rehab around the start of 2017. Two years on he muses with a newfound optimism; “Finally can see it, I’ve landed on the ground / Look at all the peace I’ve found”. ‘I Am with You’ ushered in pristine, synth-laden new forms to his sound, which he indulges to shimmering highs throughout ‘Gratitude’. Serenity rules on the expansive ‘Big Fish’ before it descends into a mesmerising percussive breakdown, ‘Blue Dress’ is jittery and upbeat, while the acoustic guitar loops on ‘Real Friends’ take elements of classic Ben – his dulcet vocal tones and meandering, storytelling lyrics – and dress them up stylishly, in more of an ambient vein more like James Blake than the drab, acoustic campfire contemporaries his early work sat closer to. In turning around a painful and difficult period in his life, Ben Leftwich has managed to paint a picture of redemption and growth that’s graceful and honest without drifting into self indulgence. If there’s a lesson to be taken from ‘Gratitude’ it’s that a rebrand and a couple of synthesisers can make for a powerful combination.

Tracklist:
01 - Gratitude
02 - Look Ma!
03 - Sometimes
04 - Big Fish
05 - Tell Me You Started to Pray
06 - Luzern
07 - I Got You
08 - Real Friends
09 - Blue Dress
10 - Miracle Sister
11 - Roísín
12 - The Mess We Make

Summary:
Country: UK
Genre: indie-folk, indie-pop