Ben Noble – “Cutting Teeth”
Ben Noble – “Cutting Teeth” – Single Review
Instant chills.
You could hear a pin drop in this place right now in between the sweet notes from the gentle acoustic sound of the carefully crafted melody emanating from Ben Noble’s guitar on his new single “Cutting Teeth” from his album Whiskey Priest. This song is straight-up pure magic and flawlessly performed.
From what I’ve read, he gets compared to Damien Rice and Bon Iver quite a bit…not to leech too much of what others have said already, but that’s pretty accurate. I think where the distinction needs to be made is that, it’s not like Ben Noble SOUNDS like these artists – he truly belongs standing shoulder to shoulder with them on the exact same stages they play, completely as one of their peers. Maybe add some Mimicking Birds or Jose Gonzales in there for good measure, just to get an idea of the level of captivation we’re talking about in the songwriting here…”Cutting Teeth” is gorgeous & entirely stunning.
To be truthful, I actually checked out Ben’s live music session for Pony Rug first, where he plays “Cutting Teeth” and delivers 100% of the brilliance of this song or more to the stage in a fantastic performance. Ben’s got tons of charm and sincerity working in his favor, both in the song itself and in the way he plays it…there’s zero doubt in my mind that this is a melody that quickly pierces the heart of all who listen. Recorded, he’s got every corner rounded to a jaw-dropping perfection that is equally powerful…which is honestly commendable. It’s funny when you listen to a song sometimes in both settings…after watching the live performance, I was rooting for Ben to capture that magic in the studio, then once I’d listened to the album-version of “Cutting Teeth,” I went back and marveled at just how much of this song’s incredible sweetness to the stage. What I can say definitively, is that you really can’t lose with either version of this song…Ben is clearly a competent and capable, confident singer/songwriter that understands how to let the music flow right through him.
“Cutting Teeth” isn’t going to have any kind of easy time out there in a rowdy bar…the delicate and fragile sounds of the melody are beautiful to listen to…if anything, maybe it’ll settle them down a bit and bring them to the front of the stage to listen. Indie-Folk has exposed an incredibly imaginative and creative vein over the past decade, bringing the artistic nature of the genre to the forefront like never before. It’s artists like Ben Noble that belong at the forefront of that sweeping change, which is still burning brightly today. Essentially what I’m saying is…while many mainstream stations continue to ignore amazing songs like this one is, the online world will always provide a much higher degree of accessibility for a songwriter like Ben to thrive and blossom his career. Artists like Ben aren’t writing songs for radio anyhow…there is a completely different approach to the definition of what a ‘hook’ is with songwriters like him; they understand that a melody that resonates, the structure of a song, the attention to detail, the flow, the tones, mood, atmosphere…if you really focus on every element and put your heart and soul into it, chances are, the entire SONG becomes the hook, just like “Cutting Teeth.” Rather than any quickly written, flashy choruses – Ben’s taken an approach that sparkles & shines through the entire journey on “Cutting Teeth” by making sure that every second is completely worth your time to listen to…that the performance, melody, & writing will stick with you long after you hear it.
Beautifully sung, exceptionally well played, stunning harmonies and vocal-layering as the song progresses and builds to a spectacular finish – “Cutting Teeth” is absolutely perfect in every way – everything I’m hearing in this song from the lyrics to the music tells me this is an artist with a very bright future ahead of him, full of songs that are bound to captivate the ears & hearts of listeners around the globe. Ben Noble is an extraordinary talent.
Find out more about Ben Noble’s music and details on his latest album Whiskey Priest by visiting his official website at: https://www.bennoblemusic.com/
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