Ben Lee has a very short name and a gruff voice. At times he sounds like Paul McCartney, but you can't help thinking that he would rather sound like someone American. Bruce Springsteen, perhaps.

Singing by Numbers:

As seems typical of all singers/songwriters (cf. Ethane Blake), Lee feels he must sing about one or all of the following things: loneliness, being misunderstood and/or the persistence of trying to get noticed by (a). a girl (b). a record company (c). the rest of the world (delete as applicable).

But despite the stereotypes, Ben Lee produces some very good music - in particular, the steel stringed acoustic "So For Me" which is all about a man being subjected to the ever changing demands and desires of his girlfriend. "What's like to feel you're always right/and how's it feel to be so wrong usually?" he asks as his opening gambit. It's a good question, and there are plenty more where that one came from.

Woman Trouble:

Trouble with women seems to be a big problem with Ben Lee. In "Clown of the Class", the narrator spends his life trying to work out how to attract the attention of a girl he has had his eye on for some time: "I don't cheat at games I play, cos the game I play might be my love one day," Lee sings half way through the track.

Meanwhile, it is girl trouble of another sort that our trouble troubadour sings about with "Miss Sally Jane". Miss Sally Jane may be to Ben Lee what the Sweet Baby Shark was to Jayl. Both seem to be tempting women, luring our righteous heroes from the straight and narrow ("She left me out, she washed me down over the candle light, then she threw me around"). And, in Ben Lee's case this all happens to a Spanish guitar backing that will remind some of the Mild Mannered Janitors' "97/98".

Poetry:

It's clear to see that Lee is something of a poet. The way in which he melds phrases and words together is proof enough of this. On the page, his lyrics appear to fall flat. It looks like he's put in one syllable too many, but somehow, when he sings it, it all works. Beautifully.

The best example of this is in "So For Me". Despite it's cliché ridden lyrics ("You look like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth/so I'll take you as you are/cos you'll never change a spot") and it's frequent use of the word "cos", the song is an impassioned plea for understanding and sympathy in what seems to be a very one sided relationship ("when we speak it turns into a load of misery").

So For Ben...:

Whether he is being pestered by a man-eater, a woman who is always right, or simply the trauma of unrequited love, Ben Lee captures the moment well with fully formed vocals and lyrics. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with next. Let's just hope his luck with women improves.

02/12/03 - First published on www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire under this link