monoblogue music: “Words For Yesterday” by Benny Bassett

This may be one of the best, simplest, yet most descriptive album covers I’ve reviewed yet. (And yes, the music is pretty good, too.)

On April 12, you can get your hands on the forthcoming EP from the guy in the photo, who gets assistance from some solid backing musicians and harmony singing to put together what could be described as a musical smorgasbord. While Bassett would probably fit best in the singer-songwriter mold, the six songs on the EP have a variety of sounds to them.

The reason I said “descriptive” for the album cover is that the first two songs on the EP – songs which would be at home on an album by any number of classic artists like The Eagles, John Cougar Mellencamp, or Tom Petty, to name a few – evoke just the imagery that the cover does. Just the names alone – Window To Forever and Live Where You Love The Sky – create that vibe. Bassett’s roaming ways provide the backdrop to the video he did for the latter song, images that represent 40 stops along his way over the last year.

But just when you thought you had Benny pegged, he gets much heavier with my pick for the best song of the six, Down Below. Yet that’s not the last twist as he gets a little more bluesy with Find A Way. That’s another winner, as is the final ballad From You. The only song I have a bit of objection to is the slightly cheesy penultimate song, Building A Future. It is a romantic song of sorts, though, so it does have that going for it. Somewhere someone would love that song for a wedding.

Benny now calls Albuquerque home, but his real base of operation seems to be his SUV. Describing himself as “a solo troubadour,” Bassett has done hundreds of shows over the few years since Vintage Blue, a former band he was in, parted ways. With that breakup, Benny left the legal game (he’s a recovering attorney – my words, not his) and his former Chicago home behind. Interestingly enough, the Wikipedia page for Vintage Blue claims they played shows “from Los Angeles all the way to Ocean City, Maryland and everywhere in between.” (Stick with me on this one.)

That touring expertise and willingness to go play shows means that Bassett already has a post-album tour lined up; however, that just seems to be the extension of his pre-album tour he’s on now. April sees him playing in twelve states (so far), with everything from house parties to hotel appearances on the docket.

And I suppose one line from Benny’s review of 2018 immediately established a connection with me: he “grew (his) relationship with Aloft Hotels all over North America.” In fact, there are three he’s playing on his April tour: Bentonville, Minneapolis, and Detroit. That connection? It just so happens that there’s an Aloft soon to open in Ocean City – I know because my “real” employer designed it and I came in on the tail end of the drafting work. So perhaps Benny will be coming our way later this summer. (Wonder if he gets to stay free?)

Normally I would tell you at this point not to take my word for it, but to listen for yourself. Unfortunately, aside from the song video I put up I can’t steer you to a place to hear it. My advice: keep his social media page in mind for April 12 and that may provide some guidance.