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After the three singles, ‘So Good Today’/’Beauty’, ‘Get Closer’, ‘Hang Around’, that are all included and countless early plays on Gilles Peterson’s radio show (well Westbeech is the protégé of Brownswood Recordings) the album sounds like an old friend already.

However, when he started his show back in November 2005 with ‘Beauty’ we knew young Ben was more than just a Jamiroquai impersonator — a rather unfair accusation I’ve come across in some of the lesser press. Hopefully, now they’ve got the album they can stop this type of rubbish, even if ‘Get Silly’ uses the Ray Barretto sample of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Pastime Paradise’ that Coolio made a career out of with his gansta rework.

With the history lesson over, the album starts with the (reduced) title track ‘Welcome’ that probably sums up his youthful blue-eyed soul and d’n’b Bristol breaks background. So don’t be surprised when you hear the Roni Size influences, like the dubby jazz instrumental ‘Bright Future’. Hang on, ‘Get Silly’ and ‘Bright Future’ on the same album? This guy may well have had one too many drinks and the odd smoke.

‘Nothing Else’ was on Brownwood Bubblers and it’s another choice track of pop-swing-jazzy-soul like ‘Gotta Keep On’, ‘Stop What You’re Doing’. The album is full of these 3-minute gems.

The downtempo ‘Taken Away From’ and ‘Pusherman’ shows off his abilities as a lyricist as they are a little deeper than ‘Dance With Me’ and ‘Hang Around’ (did someone mention Janet Kay’s little lad?).

I love a label where Soil and “Pimp” Sessions and Ben Westbeech can have equal billing even though there is no logical connection apart from Gilles Peterson’s musical know how. And that ethos is represented by the styles on Welcome To The Best Years Of Your Life. Again compare the Afro-pop of ‘In/Out’ to ‘Beauty’. The closing track is an odd mix of Alice Coltrane on a modal / d’n’b trip; sounds horrible put like that, but it’s a genuinely a real ‘Beauty’.

Another big year ahead for Mr. Westbeech and watch ‘Get Silly’ make his name and he can do it live! (see Ben’s review of the Ronnie Scott’s gig).

Hectic Mix nomination: ‘Beauty’, ‘Bright Future’, ‘Welcome’, ‘In/Out’, ‘Taken Away From’ and the singles!

Reviewed: Ben Westbeech — Welcome To The Best Years Of Your Life (Brownswood Recordings) Cat. No. BWOOD011CD Release date: 26th March 2007
Tracklisting:
1. Welcome (3:39)
2. So Good Today (2:59)
3. Get Silly (3:51)
4. Bright Future (3:52)
5. Nothing Else (2:44)
6. Gotta Keep On (2:56)
7. Taken Away From (2:49)
8. Grey Skies (1:49)
9. Stop What You’re Doing (2:56)
10. Dance With Me (4:02)
11. Get Closer (4:55)
12 Hang Around (3:38)
13. Pusherman (3:16)
14. In/Out (2:44)
15. Beauty (4:35)

Links:
www.myspace.com/benwestbeech
Feb 07: SOUTHAMPTON: “I got on the train from Waterloo and rolled on down to Southampton. The journey was quick and I had a little beer to keep me company. Listened to lots of tribe called quest on the way down. Their beats rhymes and life record is one of my favourites. Got there and got a taxi down to the Soul Cellar, which was a fun little venue. Crazy vibes. It was Suki’s birthday bash, sort of a private party one, and it was me, DJ Derek and Big ‘Children Of Jah’ Bud on the twos. Actually Derek plays off mini discs but he still had two of them. What a night. It was so much fun. Good bunch of people and we all got on it”.
www.myspace.com/brownswoodrecordings
www.brownswoodrecordings.com
www.soilpimp.com
www.myspace.com/clipzuk
www.myspace.com/jamiroquai