| "BEST OF 2007" The Onion / City Pages / Star Tribune |
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The 2007 "Best of" lists are in and more than a few were really kind to us. Here's a few clippings.... He might be originally from Northern Ireland, but songwriter Ben Kyle chose the title of his latest album well: Romantica's sweetly sad country-rock, awash in pedal steel, fiddle, and lovely Gram Parsons-esque melodies, is purely this side of the Atlantic. Even when Kyle sings about his family's emigration to the U.S. in "The National Side" it's not accompanied by Celtic instrumentation, but a wall of sprightly Tex-Mex horns. Melancholy and extreme sports aren't usually found together as major themes, but Kyle makes them work, eulogizing snowboarder Craig Kelly (who died in an avalanche in 2003) on "La Traviada" and mourning the death of a Mexican bandit in "Ixcatan." - Christopher Bahn, The Onion
Few albums released locally this year are capable of garnering such widespread appreciation as Romantica's America. With lush string arrangements and delicate vocal melodies, Romantica appeal just as much to the Cities 97 crowd as they do to alt-country aficionados and folk revivalists, a testament to lead singer Ben Kyle's dexterous songwriting. From the up-tempo shuffle of "National Side" to the Springsteen-channeling slow-burner "Ixcatan," Kyle is adept at writing narrative lyrics and expressing sensitivity without turning on the cheese or being overtly poetic, making America beautiful in its simplicity. |
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