Ben Christophers
My Beautiful Demon

THE REVIEW

Normally, I'm not attracted to albums featuring the singer's face on the cover: I find it to be an unnecessary show of oneself... after all, what matters is the music, right?

So, when I got this CD on a friend's recommendation, I immediately turned up my nose: a gaze lost in the void, looking like an "English dandy" in the style of Jarvis Cocker from Pulp and... damn! it vaguely resembles the cover of "Grace" by Jeff Buckley! And as an "introduction," my friend had compared it precisely to Jeff!
The comparison is not entirely wrong: the voice (without making comparisons) is there, the emotional involvement too, plus add a lot of electronics and you'll get this "My Beautiful Demon."

The title track of the album is slow, heartbreaking, often (like others, by the way) the music seems to pause for a few seconds, leaving space for the voice alone.
"Give Me Everything" is the most rock song on the album, while in "Before The Winter Parade" it really seems like you're hearing the late Jeff (listen to the sample!).
Other noteworthy songs are "Sunday," a love song for acoustic guitar and voice only, and the electronic tracks "Stay" and "Healer."

What more can I add? I think the comparison to Jeff Buckley is never as fitting as in the case of Ben Christophers, at least in terms of vocal timbre. On the one hand, this is honorable, but on the other, it's also a "responsibility" that's not easy to bear: indeed, the CD has received many praises but also some perhaps excessive criticism from those who expected to find the reincarnation of someone who's no longer here.
As always, the truth lies in the middle: an excellent debut CD, with some episodes decidedly above average, recommended for just about everyone!