A full acoustic album as your debut release is a bold move but one thing it can do is showcase your raw songwriting skills.
That’s exactly what’s happened in the case of Ben Whitley, whose debut album Maybe It’s A Way Of Life has proved a success with listeners.
By synthesising his harmonica, acoustic guitar and the low tones of his vocals, the 19-year-old has created an LP that makes for easy listening. While the Bob Dylan influence is obvious, Whitley has combined his love of country, folk and rock ‘n’ roll by taking inspiration from various artists, old and new.
He said: “People like Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash and more recently Sierra Ferrell have a certain rhythm that engages the listener. I try to go for that sort of stuff with my playing.”
The first track on the album is arguably the most impressive. Whitley’s ‘All Along The Line’ is a melancholic track that sounds like it could easily have been written by any of his idols.
The lyrics capture the mood created by the fingerpicking that Whitley likes to incorporate into his slower songs. Coming in at 3 minutes 18 seconds, it’s not an odyssey, but makes you feel by the end that you have been submerged into the character’s surroundings and understand his emotions.
On why he wanted to put the album out, Whitley said: “I figured I’d been playing the open mics for a while and had a bit of a catalogue of tunes that were pretty much only getting played at these open mics, so I thought I might as well put them out to save them collecting dust in my head.
“I had a short period before recording this album when I wasn’t doing anything new and I put it down to getting comfortable with what I already know.
“This was why putting the album out allowed me to leave all that in the past. I still play a lot of the tunes on the album and I enjoy them; it’s just that I needed to carry on with something new.”
Amongst the other highlights from the album are ‘I Can’t Ramble’ and ‘Perranporth Coast.’
Back in January 2021, ‘I Can’t Ramble’ was the first song that Whitley ever wrote. It’s a cheeky song telling the tale of a man’s misfortunes in life. Meanwhile, ‘Perranporth Coast’ is a reflection of memories of the Cornish coast.
Across the album, the artist manages to make his stories sound authentic through vivid descriptions from the perspective of himself and his characters. It makes for engaging listening throughout.
You can listen to the album, Maybe It’s A Way Of Life, here
You can follow Ben on Instagram here
Mersey Music 